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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Updated 3:15 p.m. Thursday\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta said they will sue the federal government after Congress moved to revoke its electric vehicle mandate and two other clean air act rules Thursday. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The move, led by Senate Republicans, attempted to block California from regulating the pollution that comes from cars, trucks and buses, and roll back the state’s long-standing authority to set higher air quality standards than the nation. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Our lawsuit will be about ensuring California can enforce its state laws,” said Bonta at a press event, adding that through the years, the allowances granted by the Environmental Protection Agency, called waivers, have lowered harmful emissions and improved public health. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[ad fullwidth]\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“That’s better for our people, it’s better for our planet. This attack on these waivers will put more Californians’ lives at risk, undermine the clean vehicle industry, and stifle innovation and job creation, including in the electric vehicle sector,” he said. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">California’s rules would \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12039494/senate-weighs-repeal-of-california-clean-air-rules-raising-stakes-for-ev-market-and-public-health\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">ban the sale of new gas cars in the state\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> starting in 2035, reduce pollution from heavy duty trucks and buses and require truck makers to start selling more electric vehicles. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Newsom said the decision to overturn the state’s waivers will benefit other countries who are pursuing a clean energy economy. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“China is celebrating. This was a day that marks a moment of acceleration and their capacity to dominate in the next big global industry,” he said, referring to the electric vehicle market. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“We have real-world evidence that these rules are improving public health,” said Dr. John Balmes, a longtime member of the California Air Resources Board. Balmes pointed to studies showing reductions in \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://today.usc.edu/electric-vehicles-already-improving-health-and-air-quality-study-shows/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">asthma-related emergency room visits\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in zip codes with higher infiltration of electric vehicles, and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/electric-vehicles-improve-air-quality-less-impact-polluted-areas\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">reductions in pollutants\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> as use of zero-emission vehicles rose. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“These studies and others show that our clean car and truck rules bring necessary co-benefits, reduced asthma attacks in children and younger adults, and reduced deaths in older adults, as well as reduced greenhouse gas emissions,” Balmes said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The majority of \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/ghg-inventory-graphs\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">California’s\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> planet-warming emissions come from transportation, and the same is true \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">nationwide\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_12040286 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/20250203_MartinezRefineryFolo_GC-26_qed-1020x680.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">California has regulated its own vehicle pollution since the 1960s, before the Clean Air Act was signed into law in 1970. Due to the state’s historically horrendous air pollution, the federal government granted California the authority to set its own emissions standards, as long as they were stricter than federal rules. Those rules would then require approval from the EPA through waivers for final approval.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Republicans sidestepped the filibuster by using a little-known tool called the Congressional Review Act to revoke the waivers. Both the Senate parliamentarian, essentially the chamber’s referee, and the Government Accountability Office, an independent agency overseeing the government, said using this procedure to rule on California’s rules was not allowed. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Democrats like California’s Sen. Adam Schiff objected, calling the move a “nuclear option,” and saying that going down this road was a slippery slope.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Because what we have at stake is also a state’s ability, it’s right to make its own laws,” Schiff said. “And to protect its own citizens without having this body overturn that right.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Environmentalists and scientists were defiant upon hearing the news, which some said did not come as a surprise. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“While this is a big setback, we’re not out for the count,” said Adrian Martinez, an attorney with EarthJustice. “We still have many options to clean up this pollution and we need to pursue them immediately at the state and local level.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Martinez said the state could use its authority under the California Air Resources Board to write new rules for cars and trucks. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Brian Maas of the California New Car Dealers Association, which represents franchise dealerships of new cars and trucks across the state, welcomed the opportunity to “recalibrate the state’s approach.” \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“California needs a durable, market-aligned electric vehicle policy that reflects consumer demand, infrastructure availability, and affordability,” he said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“That’s better for our people, it’s better for our planet. This attack on these waivers will put more Californians’ lives at risk, undermine the clean vehicle industry, and stifle innovation and job creation, including in the electric vehicle sector,” he said. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">California’s rules would \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12039494/senate-weighs-repeal-of-california-clean-air-rules-raising-stakes-for-ev-market-and-public-health\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">ban the sale of new gas cars in the state\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> starting in 2035, reduce pollution from heavy duty trucks and buses and require truck makers to start selling more electric vehicles. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Newsom said the decision to overturn the state’s waivers will benefit other countries who are pursuing a clean energy economy. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“China is celebrating. This was a day that marks a moment of acceleration and their capacity to dominate in the next big global industry,” he said, referring to the electric vehicle market. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“We have real-world evidence that these rules are improving public health,” said Dr. John Balmes, a longtime member of the California Air Resources Board. Balmes pointed to studies showing reductions in \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://today.usc.edu/electric-vehicles-already-improving-health-and-air-quality-study-shows/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">asthma-related emergency room visits\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in zip codes with higher infiltration of electric vehicles, and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/electric-vehicles-improve-air-quality-less-impact-polluted-areas\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">reductions in pollutants\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> as use of zero-emission vehicles rose. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“These studies and others show that our clean car and truck rules bring necessary co-benefits, reduced asthma attacks in children and younger adults, and reduced deaths in older adults, as well as reduced greenhouse gas emissions,” Balmes said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The majority of \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/ghg-inventory-graphs\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">California’s\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> planet-warming emissions come from transportation, and the same is true \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">nationwide\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">California has regulated its own vehicle pollution since the 1960s, before the Clean Air Act was signed into law in 1970. Due to the state’s historically horrendous air pollution, the federal government granted California the authority to set its own emissions standards, as long as they were stricter than federal rules. Those rules would then require approval from the EPA through waivers for final approval.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Republicans sidestepped the filibuster by using a little-known tool called the Congressional Review Act to revoke the waivers. Both the Senate parliamentarian, essentially the chamber’s referee, and the Government Accountability Office, an independent agency overseeing the government, said using this procedure to rule on California’s rules was not allowed. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Democrats like California’s Sen. Adam Schiff objected, calling the move a “nuclear option,” and saying that going down this road was a slippery slope.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Because what we have at stake is also a state’s ability, it’s right to make its own laws,” Schiff said. “And to protect its own citizens without having this body overturn that right.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Environmentalists and scientists were defiant upon hearing the news, which some said did not come as a surprise. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“While this is a big setback, we’re not out for the count,” said Adrian Martinez, an attorney with EarthJustice. “We still have many options to clean up this pollution and we need to pursue them immediately at the state and local level.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Martinez said the state could use its authority under the California Air Resources Board to write new rules for cars and trucks. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Brian Maas of the California New Car Dealers Association, which represents franchise dealerships of new cars and trucks across the state, welcomed the opportunity to “recalibrate the state’s approach.” \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“California needs a durable, market-aligned electric vehicle policy that reflects consumer demand, infrastructure availability, and affordability,” he said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Regal jumping spiders train themselves from a young age to become masterful hunters. From the day they leave mom’s silk nest, the tiny spiderlings practice, practice, practice, using some of the best vision in the animal world, athletic leaps, sharp fangs and lethal venom.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>With fangs that bite … \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>venom that paralyzes … \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>and liquifies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This regal jumping spider rules her tiny garden domain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She squeezes out every last drop, leaving nothing but a crumpled husk behind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The size of a bottle cap, she had to teach herself how to be this fearsome, starting when she was smaller than a sesame seed. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every jumping spider must learn to stalk and pounce — they don’t use a web to catch prey. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To make the next generation of killers-in-training, she’ll need a mate. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A male arrives in formal attire — jet black with white markings. And blue-green iridescent chelicerae. That’s the name for these appendages that house their venom glands and end in their fangs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Quite dashing, indeed. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He captivates her attention with his dance moves. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They embrace, and things get intimate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A couple of weeks after mating, the female jumping spider lays 50-200 eggs inside her cozy nest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She spins a protective silk sac around them … and guards them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When they hatch, the nest serves as both their nursery and a silky jungle gym.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They grow up here under the many watchful eyes of their mom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They don’t eat during these first few weeks, surviving off of yolk, an energy source left over from when they were in their eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their exoskeletons harden and darken.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As they grow, so does their curiosity … and their appetite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They have to venture out into the world to find their first meal. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jumping spiders’ keen eyesight is fine-tuned for daylight hunting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They have eight eyes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can see them more clearly on their mom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The three smaller pairs on the sides see motion, making it hard for predators to sneak up on them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their central pair are their principal eyes that allow them to see crisp detail and vivid color. They also help these cuties judge distance so they can land on target.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Something catches the spiderling’s attention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But at first, the spiderling is a bit unsure of what to do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It doesn’t have a teacher. So it’s gotta improvise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>OK, that could have gone better. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Got it! \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But now what? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aww! \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All right, this time, no messing around. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The spiderling tries out its fangs for the very first time. It doesn’t take long before this tiny hunter enjoys the sweet taste of success.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With practice, the spiderling improves its technique.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As she grows, she gets fuzzy, like really fuzzy. And gains the confidence to take on bigger and stronger prey. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over six to nine months, this self-made spider has become a stone cold killer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s the apex predator … at least on this twig.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This regal jumping spider rules her tiny garden domain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She squeezes out every last drop, leaving nothing but a crumpled husk behind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The size of a bottle cap, she had to teach herself how to be this fearsome, starting when she was smaller than a sesame seed. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every jumping spider must learn to stalk and pounce — they don’t use a web to catch prey. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To make the next generation of killers-in-training, she’ll need a mate. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A male arrives in formal attire — jet black with white markings. And blue-green iridescent chelicerae. That’s the name for these appendages that house their venom glands and end in their fangs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Quite dashing, indeed. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He captivates her attention with his dance moves. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They embrace, and things get intimate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A couple of weeks after mating, the female jumping spider lays 50-200 eggs inside her cozy nest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She spins a protective silk sac around them … and guards them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When they hatch, the nest serves as both their nursery and a silky jungle gym.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They grow up here under the many watchful eyes of their mom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They don’t eat during these first few weeks, surviving off of yolk, an energy source left over from when they were in their eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their exoskeletons harden and darken.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As they grow, so does their curiosity … and their appetite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They have to venture out into the world to find their first meal. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jumping spiders’ keen eyesight is fine-tuned for daylight hunting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They have eight eyes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can see them more clearly on their mom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The three smaller pairs on the sides see motion, making it hard for predators to sneak up on them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their central pair are their principal eyes that allow them to see crisp detail and vivid color. They also help these cuties judge distance so they can land on target.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Something catches the spiderling’s attention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But at first, the spiderling is a bit unsure of what to do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It doesn’t have a teacher. So it’s gotta improvise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>OK, that could have gone better. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Got it! \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But now what? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aww! \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All right, this time, no messing around. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The spiderling tries out its fangs for the very first time. It doesn’t take long before this tiny hunter enjoys the sweet taste of success.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With practice, the spiderling improves its technique.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As she grows, she gets fuzzy, like really fuzzy. And gains the confidence to take on bigger and stronger prey. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over six to nine months, this self-made spider has become a stone cold killer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s the apex predator … at least on this twig.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "can-nasa-help-predict-wildflower-super-blooms",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 9:09 a.m. Tuesday\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What if scientists could accurately predict when and where a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1996323/where-to-see-wildflowers-near-you-in-the-bay-area\">wildflower super bloom\u003c/a> will occur?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NASA researchers are working to do just that — with the help of a fancy device they call an imaging spectrometer. The advanced camera maps and tracks blooms across landscapes in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These scientists analyzed native California wildflowers for a \u003ca href=\"https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.70127\">recent study\u003c/a> and found that both space-based and airborne sensors can monitor the seasonal cycles of blooming plants by detecting one of their signature traits: colors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This camera has the capability to let us see what we don’t see as humans with our vision,” said Yoseline Angel, a scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and lead researcher of the study. “Our vision is limited.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This kind of data could become a powerful tool for farmers, ecologists and conservationists who rely on flowering plants for food production and ecosystem health. It could even help wildflower enthusiasts track local blooms with scientific precision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996592\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1747px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996592\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/KingsRiver-2025-03-26-Landsat-89.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1747\" height=\"940\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/KingsRiver-2025-03-26-Landsat-89.jpg 1747w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/KingsRiver-2025-03-26-Landsat-89-800x430.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/KingsRiver-2025-03-26-Landsat-89-1020x549.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/KingsRiver-2025-03-26-Landsat-89-160x86.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/KingsRiver-2025-03-26-Landsat-89-768x413.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/KingsRiver-2025-03-26-Landsat-89-1536x826.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1747px) 100vw, 1747px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Overview of yellow and orange wildflower blooms around Pine Flat Lake hillsides and along Kings River, California, on March 26, 2025. \u003ccite>(Satellite Image Landsat 8&9/OLI, NASA Worldview)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>To collect the data, the research team used a state-of-the-art \u003ca href=\"https://avirisng.jpl.nasa.gov/\">spectrometer\u003c/a> developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. Mounted on an aircraft, the sensor flew over \u003ca href=\"https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/california-field-campaign-helping-scientists-protect-diverse-ecosystems/\">two California nature reserves between February and June 2022\u003c/a> and captured hundreds of wavelengths of light — far beyond what the human eye can see — allowing researchers to monitor the wildflower bloom and its fade throughout the season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the same time, scientists on the ground with handheld devices measured how the different flowers reflect light, building a library for each flower type.[aside postID=science_1996323 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/03/GettyImages-1141101456-1020x680.jpg']By comparing the spectrometer’s data with ground measurements, researchers were able to determine where flowers were blooming in the aerial images and create maps that show blooming patterns over time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers had never before used the instrument to monitor blooming vegetation for an entire growing season, collecting images each week, \u003ca href=\"https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-takes-to-the-air-to-study-wildflowers/\">said David Schimel, a research scientist with NASA JPL\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Flowers have a bigger impact on the landscape’s appearance in aerial images than the scientists expected. The team was able to differentiate between flowers, leaves and background cover with 97% accuracy and determine different flowering stages with 80% certainty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Spectral imaging could be a game-changer for tracking blooms on a regional or even global scale — without needing to hike through every field.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A challenge was differentiating flower colors from leaves, soil and shadows. “Compared to other parts of a plant, flowers can be pretty ephemeral,” Angel said. “They may last only a few weeks.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996594\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996594\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/nasa-takes-to-the-air-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/nasa-takes-to-the-air-2.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/nasa-takes-to-the-air-2-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/nasa-takes-to-the-air-2-768x509.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">NASA’s AVIRIS sensors have been used to study wildfires, World Trade Center wreckage, and critical minerals, among numerous airborne missions over the years. AVIRIS-3 is seen here on a field campaign in Panama, where it helped analyze vegetation in many wavelengths of light not visible to human eyes. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of NASA/Shawn Serbin)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Flowering plants, from crops to desert shrubs, synchronize their bloom cycles with seasonal changes in temperature, \u003ca href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/earth/water-on-earth/nasa-study-crops-forests-responding-to-changing-rainfall-patterns/\">rainfall\u003c/a> and daylight. However, these patterns are shifting due to climate change, and scientists are eager to track how rising temperatures impact plant life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Flowers produce pigments that absorb and reflect light in unique ways. Spectrometers can detect these light signatures and identify plants based on their distinct \u003ca href=\"https://avirisng.jpl.nasa.gov/science.html\">chemical “fingerprints.”\u003c/a> This technology has been used for \u003ca href=\"https://microdevices.jpl.nasa.gov/capabilities/imaging-spectroscopy/\">decades\u003c/a> to analyze planetary surfaces — including Earth — and is now proving valuable for monitoring plant life from above.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These sensors are helping us to see what pollinators see,” Angel said, adding that pollinators like bees, birds or butterflies see through different spectral ranges than humans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The implications extend far beyond wildflowers. Around 90% of land plants are flowering species, many of which are crucial to agriculture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Understanding their bloom patterns could help farmers plan harvests and track crop development, assist conservationists in managing habitats and support climate scientists tracking changes over time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996595\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1320px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996595\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/1-Wildflower-Field-work-.width-1320.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1320\" height=\"742\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/1-Wildflower-Field-work-.width-1320.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/1-Wildflower-Field-work-.width-1320-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/1-Wildflower-Field-work-.width-1320-1020x573.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/1-Wildflower-Field-work-.width-1320-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/1-Wildflower-Field-work-.width-1320-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1320px) 100vw, 1320px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Researcher Ann Raiho measures sunlight interacting with yellow Coreopsis gigantea flowers during field work in the Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve in California’s Santa Barbara County in 2022. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of NASA/Yoseline Angel)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Angel and her team are now analyzing data from a \u003ca href=\"https://earth.jpl.nasa.gov/emit/\">spectrometer\u003c/a> aboard the International Space Station, originally designed to map Earth’s desert minerals. By combining those images with environmental conditions, scientists hope to predict when and where massive super blooms — those rare, breathtaking explosions of desert flowers — will occur.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beyond scientific research, the project has sparked excitement among citizen scientists. Angel, who follows wildflower updates through social media, believes public enthusiasm can complement NASA’s data collection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People can help us to observe and report flowers. If they see something like a bloom or super bloom happening, they can always help us to try to enhance our models and [contribute to] science,” Angel said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Apps like \u003ca href=\"https://observer.globe.gov/about/get-the-app\">GLOBE\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.inaturalist.org/\">iNaturalist\u003c/a> let people be part of the science — by snapping photos and logging what plants or flowers they see, users help scientists study changes in nature and the environment over time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"headline": "Can NASA Help Predict Wildflower Super Blooms?",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 9:09 a.m. Tuesday\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What if scientists could accurately predict when and where a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1996323/where-to-see-wildflowers-near-you-in-the-bay-area\">wildflower super bloom\u003c/a> will occur?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NASA researchers are working to do just that — with the help of a fancy device they call an imaging spectrometer. The advanced camera maps and tracks blooms across landscapes in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These scientists analyzed native California wildflowers for a \u003ca href=\"https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.70127\">recent study\u003c/a> and found that both space-based and airborne sensors can monitor the seasonal cycles of blooming plants by detecting one of their signature traits: colors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This camera has the capability to let us see what we don’t see as humans with our vision,” said Yoseline Angel, a scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and lead researcher of the study. “Our vision is limited.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This kind of data could become a powerful tool for farmers, ecologists and conservationists who rely on flowering plants for food production and ecosystem health. It could even help wildflower enthusiasts track local blooms with scientific precision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996592\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1747px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996592\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/KingsRiver-2025-03-26-Landsat-89.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1747\" height=\"940\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/KingsRiver-2025-03-26-Landsat-89.jpg 1747w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/KingsRiver-2025-03-26-Landsat-89-800x430.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/KingsRiver-2025-03-26-Landsat-89-1020x549.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/KingsRiver-2025-03-26-Landsat-89-160x86.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/KingsRiver-2025-03-26-Landsat-89-768x413.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/KingsRiver-2025-03-26-Landsat-89-1536x826.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1747px) 100vw, 1747px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Overview of yellow and orange wildflower blooms around Pine Flat Lake hillsides and along Kings River, California, on March 26, 2025. \u003ccite>(Satellite Image Landsat 8&9/OLI, NASA Worldview)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>To collect the data, the research team used a state-of-the-art \u003ca href=\"https://avirisng.jpl.nasa.gov/\">spectrometer\u003c/a> developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. Mounted on an aircraft, the sensor flew over \u003ca href=\"https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/california-field-campaign-helping-scientists-protect-diverse-ecosystems/\">two California nature reserves between February and June 2022\u003c/a> and captured hundreds of wavelengths of light — far beyond what the human eye can see — allowing researchers to monitor the wildflower bloom and its fade throughout the season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the same time, scientists on the ground with handheld devices measured how the different flowers reflect light, building a library for each flower type.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>By comparing the spectrometer’s data with ground measurements, researchers were able to determine where flowers were blooming in the aerial images and create maps that show blooming patterns over time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers had never before used the instrument to monitor blooming vegetation for an entire growing season, collecting images each week, \u003ca href=\"https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-takes-to-the-air-to-study-wildflowers/\">said David Schimel, a research scientist with NASA JPL\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Flowers have a bigger impact on the landscape’s appearance in aerial images than the scientists expected. The team was able to differentiate between flowers, leaves and background cover with 97% accuracy and determine different flowering stages with 80% certainty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Spectral imaging could be a game-changer for tracking blooms on a regional or even global scale — without needing to hike through every field.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A challenge was differentiating flower colors from leaves, soil and shadows. “Compared to other parts of a plant, flowers can be pretty ephemeral,” Angel said. “They may last only a few weeks.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996594\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996594\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/nasa-takes-to-the-air-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/nasa-takes-to-the-air-2.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/nasa-takes-to-the-air-2-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/nasa-takes-to-the-air-2-768x509.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">NASA’s AVIRIS sensors have been used to study wildfires, World Trade Center wreckage, and critical minerals, among numerous airborne missions over the years. AVIRIS-3 is seen here on a field campaign in Panama, where it helped analyze vegetation in many wavelengths of light not visible to human eyes. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of NASA/Shawn Serbin)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Flowering plants, from crops to desert shrubs, synchronize their bloom cycles with seasonal changes in temperature, \u003ca href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/earth/water-on-earth/nasa-study-crops-forests-responding-to-changing-rainfall-patterns/\">rainfall\u003c/a> and daylight. However, these patterns are shifting due to climate change, and scientists are eager to track how rising temperatures impact plant life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Flowers produce pigments that absorb and reflect light in unique ways. Spectrometers can detect these light signatures and identify plants based on their distinct \u003ca href=\"https://avirisng.jpl.nasa.gov/science.html\">chemical “fingerprints.”\u003c/a> This technology has been used for \u003ca href=\"https://microdevices.jpl.nasa.gov/capabilities/imaging-spectroscopy/\">decades\u003c/a> to analyze planetary surfaces — including Earth — and is now proving valuable for monitoring plant life from above.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These sensors are helping us to see what pollinators see,” Angel said, adding that pollinators like bees, birds or butterflies see through different spectral ranges than humans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The implications extend far beyond wildflowers. Around 90% of land plants are flowering species, many of which are crucial to agriculture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Understanding their bloom patterns could help farmers plan harvests and track crop development, assist conservationists in managing habitats and support climate scientists tracking changes over time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996595\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1320px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996595\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/1-Wildflower-Field-work-.width-1320.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1320\" height=\"742\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/1-Wildflower-Field-work-.width-1320.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/1-Wildflower-Field-work-.width-1320-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/1-Wildflower-Field-work-.width-1320-1020x573.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/1-Wildflower-Field-work-.width-1320-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/04/1-Wildflower-Field-work-.width-1320-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1320px) 100vw, 1320px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Researcher Ann Raiho measures sunlight interacting with yellow Coreopsis gigantea flowers during field work in the Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve in California’s Santa Barbara County in 2022. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of NASA/Yoseline Angel)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Angel and her team are now analyzing data from a \u003ca href=\"https://earth.jpl.nasa.gov/emit/\">spectrometer\u003c/a> aboard the International Space Station, originally designed to map Earth’s desert minerals. By combining those images with environmental conditions, scientists hope to predict when and where massive super blooms — those rare, breathtaking explosions of desert flowers — will occur.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beyond scientific research, the project has sparked excitement among citizen scientists. Angel, who follows wildflower updates through social media, believes public enthusiasm can complement NASA’s data collection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People can help us to observe and report flowers. If they see something like a bloom or super bloom happening, they can always help us to try to enhance our models and [contribute to] science,” Angel said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Apps like \u003ca href=\"https://observer.globe.gov/about/get-the-app\">GLOBE\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.inaturalist.org/\">iNaturalist\u003c/a> let people be part of the science — by snapping photos and logging what plants or flowers they see, users help scientists study changes in nature and the environment over time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>We hope your spring cleaning doesn’t uncover bed bugs, dust mites, termites, drain flies or cockroaches.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Dread them. Run from them. But that won’t stop these unwelcome house guests from coming to visit you anyway. In fact, you’ve probably got them in your home right now making themselves comfortable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Let’s start with the tiny dust mite. It might seem harmless but in large numbers they can cause serious problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Meet the Dust Mites, Tiny Roommates That Feast On Your Skin\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Long ago – around the time we started growing our own food – humans settled down. We went home, inside. We built permanent shelters to protect us from the elements and keep the wild animals at bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Or so we thought. Surprise! The animals were right there with us. They still are.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is dust. Zoom in and you find an ecosystem almost as elaborate as the one we left outside. But small enough for us to forget it exists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dust is pretty much anything small. But the most important ingredient of dust – at least for the purposes of this story – is skin. Your skin. Her skin. His skin. Tiny flakes that fall off our bodies all day long.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco collect and study house dust to find out what exactly makes up this micro-universe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even the cleanest homes are teeming with tiny, almost invisible roommates. And even more so if you have pets or kids or live on the ground floor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most homes have over 100 species, no matter how often you vacuum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not just these guys. But these. And these. And these. Most of these microscopic roommates are harmless. Just freeloaders, basically.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But one can cause real trouble: the house dust mite. This is like the roommate who leaves his crap around and makes you sick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dust mites don’t bite people. They don’t need to. We feed them constantly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Skin flakes are hard to digest. It’s like eating hair, or feathers. So dust mites have powerful digestive enzymes to break the skin down. Those enzymes turn up in dust mite poop. And let’s just say you really don’t want to know how much dust mite poop is in your house.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When people breathe dust, they breathe in the poop – and the enzymes, too, which irritate the lungs and can aggravate asthma, especially in kids.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like us humans, dust mites haven’t always lived inside either. These tiny relatives of spiders and scorpions once lived in birds’ nests. But then, some intrepid dust mites made the jump from birds’ homes to ours. And as our society thrived and grew, so did theirs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These bed bugs are after your blood and they go for it while you’re sleeping. Keep watching to see how researchers stop them dead in their tracks.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Watch Bed Bugs Get Stopped in Their Tracks\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the … OK, you know where this is going.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lured in by our breath, bed bugs come for us when we’re most vulnerable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In dreamland, we’re oblivious to bed bug chow time. You won’t even feel it. It’s a quick meal. Just a few minutes. But it’s a filling one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stuffed with blood, it scurries to a nearby cranny: the seam of your mattress or behind a baseboard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There, they get to work growing their families. Until you get …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can recognize them by their signature work of art: these tiny splotches. It’s the digested blood they leave behind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the 1950s, we made bed bugs retreat with DDT. But some became resistant and now they’re back. We help them spread – in our clothes or luggage – when we travel around.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can kill them with other insecticides or heat, but their game of hide-and-seek makes it tricky. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Turns out, there might be another way to stop them in their tracks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Watch this. It’s just taking a stroll and … Gotcha! Its foot is stuck. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This bean leaf can incapacitate the bloodsuckers. People in the Balkans discovered that years ago and would spread the leaves around their beds as a trap. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The leaf’s surface is covered in these tiny hooked hairs called trichomes. They pierce right through the bed bug’s feet, impaling their soft joints.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many bean plants – like kidney and green beans – developed the hooks to defend against aphids and other plant-eating pests. But it just so happens to work on our bloodthirsty pest too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Biologist and engineer Catherine Loudon is trying to copy the plant at the University of California, Irvine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s creating a synthetic material that can pierce bed bug feet just like bean leaves do. It’s not quite as effective as a real bean leaf, but she’s working on it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, bed bugs are still a step ahead. So keep an eye out. Spot them early and maybe you can get them before they get you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Termites can infiltrate your home without being seen, and the results can be catastrophic. But these tiny homewreckers wouldn’t be able to do so much damage without the help of special microorganisms hidden in their gut.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>These Termites Turn Your House into a Palace of Poop\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>That lump on the side of this tree in the Amazon? It’s packed with termites. In the rainforest, that’s a good thing. They break down wood into stuff other creatures can eat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But inside our homes, termites are pests. They cost us billions of dollars of damage every year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Take these dampwood termites that live on the cool California coast. They eat wood that’s wet or decayed, maybe from a leak in your house. Slowly, but surely, they gnaw and scrape away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What comes out the other end isn’t waste. It serves as a kind of mortar. And dried poop pellets make perfect building blocks for their nests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In other words, they’re turning your house into theirs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What’s amazing is that they can digest wood, which is so hard, and get nutrients out of it. We certainly can’t do that. Termites are one of the only animals that can.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It turns out they don’t do this alone. Researchers are looking inside termites to figure out who’s actually responsible for this feat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the Exploratorium, in San Francisco, museum biologists give the insect a little puff of carbon dioxide. When it’s nice and relaxed, the termite poops itself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the microscope, multitudes appear. Hundreds of species of microbes live packed inside a termite’s gut, about one one-thousandth of a teaspoon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This big one is called Trichonympha. It’s not an animal, plant or fungus. It’s a protist. Watch it move with the help of its flagella.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Protists like Trichonympha are essential for termites to turn the wood into a source of energy. They do this by fermenting the wood, much the same way a brewer turns grain into beer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Something else is hidden deep in the termite’s gut: a powerful bacterium that combines nitrogen from the air and calories from the wood to make protein. That’s like turning a potato into a steak.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Termites can’t live without their microbes. And many of these microbes can’t live outside the termite. So what if we used the microbes against their hosts?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Right now, when we want to get rid of termites, we fumigate our houses with poison. But maybe we could just kill the protists instead. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Louisiana State University entomologists are engineering a gut bacterium to kill gut protists. They’d sneak the bacteria into the termite colony on something the termites would eat. The bacteria would kill the protists that help the termites digest wood, leaving them surrounded by food but starving.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These cuties are experts in making their way into your house through some secret and slimy passageways. Check it out.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Why Does This Fly Live in Your Bathroom?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Ever wonder where those little insects crawling around your bathroom came from? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bad news: your drain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With all that fluffy hair, it looks like a tiny moth. And some do call it a moth fly. But a fly it is. A drain fly. It’s called Clogmia – how appropriate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It grew up over several weeks, out of sight, among things you thought you’d washed away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Drain flies sneak in from the outside, through a crack in an old pipe, for example, to sip some water they sensed with this long mustache – their maxillary palps. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And here, on the plentiful gunk in your pipes, they’ll grow a family. Welcome, little one! The larva is the length of an eyelash.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That gunk it lives in? Those are bits of you: hair, saliva and food. They make a nice meal for bacteria and fungi, which form this dark, living slime called a biofilm. This is what the larvae feed on. It also keeps them well moisturized.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the larva ends up submerged, it can still chow down. It sweeps slime particles out of the water with a hairy mouthpart called the labrum and rakes them in with its mandibles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Underwater, it breathes with a bubble on its backside that it collected at the surface. This allows it to venture through deep pools in your pipes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When larvae, or the more grown-up pupae, like this guy here, end up in a toilet bowl, it can be a shock. You might think the squigglers came out of you. Ew! Don’t worry – they can’t live inside us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And even though the drain flies in your bathroom muck around in bacteria, they don’t really spread it to humans. They’re not interested in landing on us. Or even leaving the bathroom. They’re in their happy place. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When you wash your hands? They protect themselves from the water with their hairy wings. Each hair has ridges that trap air so the drops roll right off. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if they’re caught off-guard by a sudden surge, the flies skate across.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they’re not invincible. When they get trapped underwater long enough, they can drown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you find you really need to get rid of them, drain cleaner helps, but it won’t keep them away forever. There will always be some slime left behind, deep in your pipes, that could attract the flies again. So, if they want it, why not let ‘em have it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Are cockroaches – those disgusting disease-spreading roommates – good for anything at all?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists think their super-strength might teach us some tricks that could someday save lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Cockroach vs. Hydraulic Press: Who Wins?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The American cockroach is one of the fastest insects on the planet. It can run up to 3.4 miles per hour. That’d be like a human knocking out eight marathons over their lunch break.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It uses hooks, called tarsal claws, to flip over ledges.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And not even a wall can stop it. Better to keep up the momentum and figure it out as you go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The roach is both tough and flexible. Its exoskeleton isn’t one large piece of armor, but many shield-like plates made of a tough material called chitin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re held together by lots of pliable joints. And they use all those bendy joints to fold up, origami-style, and push through impossibly small cracks, like that gap you never knew existed in your kitchen cupboard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cockroach can army-crawl through a space a quarter of its normal standing height. That’s one reason it’s so good at surviving your thwack.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So how much pressure can the cockroach take?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists at UC Berkeley found it can withstand a thwack equivalent to 900 times its body weight and walk away unscathed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Why are researchers so interested in all this? They think the roach, despite its ability to make us sick, can teach us to save lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of those researchers is now building robots the size of insects to squeeze into places you and I cannot. Like piles of rubble left by major earthquakes or hurricanes. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And maybe down the line, much smaller versions of these robots could even enter our bodies to perform life-saving tasks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the one hand, we want to keep these creatures out – by sealing cracks, caulking windows and storing food in airtight containers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But we also want to learn from them. The cockroach teaches us that the key to overcoming adversity isn’t just toughness. It’s also flexibility.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>We hope your spring cleaning doesn’t uncover bed bugs, dust mites, termites, drain flies or cockroaches.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Dread them. Run from them. But that won’t stop these unwelcome house guests from coming to visit you anyway. In fact, you’ve probably got them in your home right now making themselves comfortable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Let’s start with the tiny dust mite. It might seem harmless but in large numbers they can cause serious problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Meet the Dust Mites, Tiny Roommates That Feast On Your Skin\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Long ago – around the time we started growing our own food – humans settled down. We went home, inside. We built permanent shelters to protect us from the elements and keep the wild animals at bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Or so we thought. Surprise! The animals were right there with us. They still are.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is dust. Zoom in and you find an ecosystem almost as elaborate as the one we left outside. But small enough for us to forget it exists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dust is pretty much anything small. But the most important ingredient of dust – at least for the purposes of this story – is skin. Your skin. Her skin. His skin. Tiny flakes that fall off our bodies all day long.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco collect and study house dust to find out what exactly makes up this micro-universe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even the cleanest homes are teeming with tiny, almost invisible roommates. And even more so if you have pets or kids or live on the ground floor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most homes have over 100 species, no matter how often you vacuum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not just these guys. But these. And these. And these. Most of these microscopic roommates are harmless. Just freeloaders, basically.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But one can cause real trouble: the house dust mite. This is like the roommate who leaves his crap around and makes you sick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dust mites don’t bite people. They don’t need to. We feed them constantly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Skin flakes are hard to digest. It’s like eating hair, or feathers. So dust mites have powerful digestive enzymes to break the skin down. Those enzymes turn up in dust mite poop. And let’s just say you really don’t want to know how much dust mite poop is in your house.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When people breathe dust, they breathe in the poop – and the enzymes, too, which irritate the lungs and can aggravate asthma, especially in kids.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like us humans, dust mites haven’t always lived inside either. These tiny relatives of spiders and scorpions once lived in birds’ nests. But then, some intrepid dust mites made the jump from birds’ homes to ours. And as our society thrived and grew, so did theirs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These bed bugs are after your blood and they go for it while you’re sleeping. Keep watching to see how researchers stop them dead in their tracks.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Watch Bed Bugs Get Stopped in Their Tracks\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the … OK, you know where this is going.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lured in by our breath, bed bugs come for us when we’re most vulnerable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In dreamland, we’re oblivious to bed bug chow time. You won’t even feel it. It’s a quick meal. Just a few minutes. But it’s a filling one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stuffed with blood, it scurries to a nearby cranny: the seam of your mattress or behind a baseboard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There, they get to work growing their families. Until you get …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can recognize them by their signature work of art: these tiny splotches. It’s the digested blood they leave behind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the 1950s, we made bed bugs retreat with DDT. But some became resistant and now they’re back. We help them spread – in our clothes or luggage – when we travel around.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can kill them with other insecticides or heat, but their game of hide-and-seek makes it tricky. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Turns out, there might be another way to stop them in their tracks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Watch this. It’s just taking a stroll and … Gotcha! Its foot is stuck. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This bean leaf can incapacitate the bloodsuckers. People in the Balkans discovered that years ago and would spread the leaves around their beds as a trap. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The leaf’s surface is covered in these tiny hooked hairs called trichomes. They pierce right through the bed bug’s feet, impaling their soft joints.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many bean plants – like kidney and green beans – developed the hooks to defend against aphids and other plant-eating pests. But it just so happens to work on our bloodthirsty pest too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Biologist and engineer Catherine Loudon is trying to copy the plant at the University of California, Irvine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s creating a synthetic material that can pierce bed bug feet just like bean leaves do. It’s not quite as effective as a real bean leaf, but she’s working on it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, bed bugs are still a step ahead. So keep an eye out. Spot them early and maybe you can get them before they get you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Termites can infiltrate your home without being seen, and the results can be catastrophic. But these tiny homewreckers wouldn’t be able to do so much damage without the help of special microorganisms hidden in their gut.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>These Termites Turn Your House into a Palace of Poop\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>That lump on the side of this tree in the Amazon? It’s packed with termites. In the rainforest, that’s a good thing. They break down wood into stuff other creatures can eat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But inside our homes, termites are pests. They cost us billions of dollars of damage every year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Take these dampwood termites that live on the cool California coast. They eat wood that’s wet or decayed, maybe from a leak in your house. Slowly, but surely, they gnaw and scrape away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What comes out the other end isn’t waste. It serves as a kind of mortar. And dried poop pellets make perfect building blocks for their nests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In other words, they’re turning your house into theirs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What’s amazing is that they can digest wood, which is so hard, and get nutrients out of it. We certainly can’t do that. Termites are one of the only animals that can.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It turns out they don’t do this alone. Researchers are looking inside termites to figure out who’s actually responsible for this feat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the Exploratorium, in San Francisco, museum biologists give the insect a little puff of carbon dioxide. When it’s nice and relaxed, the termite poops itself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the microscope, multitudes appear. Hundreds of species of microbes live packed inside a termite’s gut, about one one-thousandth of a teaspoon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This big one is called Trichonympha. It’s not an animal, plant or fungus. It’s a protist. Watch it move with the help of its flagella.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Protists like Trichonympha are essential for termites to turn the wood into a source of energy. They do this by fermenting the wood, much the same way a brewer turns grain into beer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Something else is hidden deep in the termite’s gut: a powerful bacterium that combines nitrogen from the air and calories from the wood to make protein. That’s like turning a potato into a steak.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Termites can’t live without their microbes. And many of these microbes can’t live outside the termite. So what if we used the microbes against their hosts?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Right now, when we want to get rid of termites, we fumigate our houses with poison. But maybe we could just kill the protists instead. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Louisiana State University entomologists are engineering a gut bacterium to kill gut protists. They’d sneak the bacteria into the termite colony on something the termites would eat. The bacteria would kill the protists that help the termites digest wood, leaving them surrounded by food but starving.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These cuties are experts in making their way into your house through some secret and slimy passageways. Check it out.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Why Does This Fly Live in Your Bathroom?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Ever wonder where those little insects crawling around your bathroom came from? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bad news: your drain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With all that fluffy hair, it looks like a tiny moth. And some do call it a moth fly. But a fly it is. A drain fly. It’s called Clogmia – how appropriate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It grew up over several weeks, out of sight, among things you thought you’d washed away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Drain flies sneak in from the outside, through a crack in an old pipe, for example, to sip some water they sensed with this long mustache – their maxillary palps. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And here, on the plentiful gunk in your pipes, they’ll grow a family. Welcome, little one! The larva is the length of an eyelash.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That gunk it lives in? Those are bits of you: hair, saliva and food. They make a nice meal for bacteria and fungi, which form this dark, living slime called a biofilm. This is what the larvae feed on. It also keeps them well moisturized.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the larva ends up submerged, it can still chow down. It sweeps slime particles out of the water with a hairy mouthpart called the labrum and rakes them in with its mandibles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Underwater, it breathes with a bubble on its backside that it collected at the surface. This allows it to venture through deep pools in your pipes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When larvae, or the more grown-up pupae, like this guy here, end up in a toilet bowl, it can be a shock. You might think the squigglers came out of you. Ew! Don’t worry – they can’t live inside us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And even though the drain flies in your bathroom muck around in bacteria, they don’t really spread it to humans. They’re not interested in landing on us. Or even leaving the bathroom. They’re in their happy place. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When you wash your hands? They protect themselves from the water with their hairy wings. Each hair has ridges that trap air so the drops roll right off. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if they’re caught off-guard by a sudden surge, the flies skate across.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But they’re not invincible. When they get trapped underwater long enough, they can drown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you find you really need to get rid of them, drain cleaner helps, but it won’t keep them away forever. There will always be some slime left behind, deep in your pipes, that could attract the flies again. So, if they want it, why not let ‘em have it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Are cockroaches – those disgusting disease-spreading roommates – good for anything at all?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists think their super-strength might teach us some tricks that could someday save lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Cockroach vs. Hydraulic Press: Who Wins?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The American cockroach is one of the fastest insects on the planet. It can run up to 3.4 miles per hour. That’d be like a human knocking out eight marathons over their lunch break.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It uses hooks, called tarsal claws, to flip over ledges.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And not even a wall can stop it. Better to keep up the momentum and figure it out as you go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The roach is both tough and flexible. Its exoskeleton isn’t one large piece of armor, but many shield-like plates made of a tough material called chitin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re held together by lots of pliable joints. And they use all those bendy joints to fold up, origami-style, and push through impossibly small cracks, like that gap you never knew existed in your kitchen cupboard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cockroach can army-crawl through a space a quarter of its normal standing height. That’s one reason it’s so good at surviving your thwack.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So how much pressure can the cockroach take?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists at UC Berkeley found it can withstand a thwack equivalent to 900 times its body weight and walk away unscathed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Why are researchers so interested in all this? They think the roach, despite its ability to make us sick, can teach us to save lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of those researchers is now building robots the size of insects to squeeze into places you and I cannot. Like piles of rubble left by major earthquakes or hurricanes. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And maybe down the line, much smaller versions of these robots could even enter our bodies to perform life-saving tasks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the one hand, we want to keep these creatures out – by sealing cracks, caulking windows and storing food in airtight containers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But we also want to learn from them. The cockroach teaches us that the key to overcoming adversity isn’t just toughness. It’s also flexibility.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "never-before-seen-documents-reveal-epa-canceled-63-grants-across-california",
"title": "‘Never-Before-Seen’ Documents Reveal EPA Canceled 63 Grants Across California",
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"headTitle": "‘Never-Before-Seen’ Documents Reveal EPA Canceled 63 Grants Across California | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Among the billions of dollars in funding \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1996440/uncertainty-looms-over-bay-area-climate-projects-under-trump\">terminated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency\u003c/a> in recent months were 63 grants representing nearly $260 million for projects and organizations across California, according to a KQED analysis of a list compiled by a group of Democratic senators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The senators, including California’s Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, \u003ca href=\"https://www.schiff.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/letter-re-ej-grant-terminations-and-oej-ecr-closure.pdf\">sent a letter\u003c/a> this week to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin demanding that the agency reverse what they called the illegal termination of 400 congressionally authorized grants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to the letter, the senators released “never-before-seen” internal EPA documents listing the grants targeted for elimination, which would have gone toward projects addressing childhood lead poisoning, air pollution and health risks related to extreme heat and wildfires. Twenty-one of the grants, totaling more than $67 million, were meant for the Bay Area and its organizations, including major cities like San Francisco and San José as well as small climate-based nonprofits in places like East Palo Alto.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Democratic members of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works said the EPA has knowingly violated contractual obligations and court orders by terminating the grants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re trying to overwhelm us because the reality is most families in America are too busy to try to keep up,” Padilla said at a press conference on Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The senators want the EPA to reverse all terminations immediately and to stop “making further unlawful terminations.” They would also like the agency to deliver any documents and information related to the “illegal clawbacks” by March 31.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996495\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996495\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/20250325_EPAProtests_GC-16_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/20250325_EPAProtests_GC-16_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/20250325_EPAProtests_GC-16_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/20250325_EPAProtests_GC-16_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/20250325_EPAProtests_GC-16_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/20250325_EPAProtests_GC-16_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/20250325_EPAProtests_GC-16_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/20250325_EPAProtests_GC-16_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Community, environmental and climate justice groups hold an emergency rally to denounce Trump’s and Musk’s attacks on environmental laws and justice programs in front of USEPA’s Regional Headquarters in San Francisco on Tuesday, March 25, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We call on you to follow the law,” the senators wrote, adding that they want information on the agency’s decision-making process for the grant terminations and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12031373/a-radically-reshaped-epa-takes-its-toll-on-bay-area-environmental-justice-efforts\">closing of its environmental justice offices nationwide\u003c/a>, including in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Climate groups across the Bay Area have seen federal grants canceled or frozen over the last few months. Some told KQED they do not know their funding status because agency staffers have been ordered not to communicate with them. Others are blindly billing for their projects with no assurance that they will be reimbursed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In February, EPA officials terminated $20 billion in climate grants issued by the Biden administration. The money was meant to finance clean energy and environmental projects through a so-called green bank. Environmental groups filed a lawsuit in response.[aside postID=science_1996440 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/Coyote-Valley-Landscapes-DN-3-22-2016-19-1020x680.jpg']The $67 million in Bay Area grants targeted by the EPA \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1996440/uncertainty-looms-over-bay-area-climate-projects-under-trump\">closely mirrors survey results\u003c/a> of Bay Area climate nonprofits, public agencies and tribes by Together Bay Area. The group found that at least $60 million in federal funding for climate projects across the region is at risk, potentially stalling wildfire prevention efforts, trail building and more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I really think that’s just the beginning,” said Annie Burke, executive director of Together Bay Area, which represents many affected organizations and agencies. “Every day, I’m getting emails saying there’s another million-dollar project that just got paused, and those million-dollar projects are things like catastrophic wildfire prevention.“\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Administration officials have also targeted diversity, equity and inclusion programs, calling them wasteful spending that needs to be cut to align with orders from President Donald Trump. The agency shuttered its environmental justice offices nationwide, including in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a statement, EPA Administrator Zeldin said environmental justice has been used “primarily as an excuse to fund left-wing activists instead of actually spending those dollars to directly remediate environmental issues for those communities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995142\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995142\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/TrumpLeeZeldinAP.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/TrumpLeeZeldinAP.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/TrumpLeeZeldinAP-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/TrumpLeeZeldinAP-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/TrumpLeeZeldinAP-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/TrumpLeeZeldinAP-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/TrumpLeeZeldinAP-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/TrumpLeeZeldinAP-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">President Donald Trump shakes hands with former Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-New York, during a roundtable at the Drexelbrook Catering & Event Center on Oct. 29, 2024, in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. \u003ccite>(Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Zeldin also announced 31 actions meant to assign more authority to the states and relax federal regulations. The administration argued that this would lower the cost of living while supporting the energy and automobile industries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are driving a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion to drive down cost of living for American families, unleash American energy, bring auto jobs back to the U.S. and more,” Zeldin said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Environmental Protection Network, made up of over 600 EPA alumni across the country who volunteer their time to protect the integrity of the agency, condemned the rollbacks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The group analyzed data from the EPA and found that for every million dollars “in favors handed to corporate polluters,” Americans “will suffer” around $6 million in health-related costs. It said the consequences of “these rollbacks will disproportionately harm vulnerable communities, exacerbating existing health inequities and accelerating environmental degradation at a time when climate disasters are becoming more frequent and severe.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The EPA’s mission is to protect human health and the environment, yet these rollbacks do the exact opposite,” said Michelle Roos, executive director of the Environmental Protection Network. “The agency is endangering lives, worsening pollution and undermining decades of progress protecting the air we breathe and the water we drink. Congress, the courts, and the public must stand up to these reckless rollbacks.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Among the billions of dollars in funding \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1996440/uncertainty-looms-over-bay-area-climate-projects-under-trump\">terminated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency\u003c/a> in recent months were 63 grants representing nearly $260 million for projects and organizations across California, according to a KQED analysis of a list compiled by a group of Democratic senators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The senators, including California’s Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, \u003ca href=\"https://www.schiff.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/letter-re-ej-grant-terminations-and-oej-ecr-closure.pdf\">sent a letter\u003c/a> this week to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin demanding that the agency reverse what they called the illegal termination of 400 congressionally authorized grants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to the letter, the senators released “never-before-seen” internal EPA documents listing the grants targeted for elimination, which would have gone toward projects addressing childhood lead poisoning, air pollution and health risks related to extreme heat and wildfires. Twenty-one of the grants, totaling more than $67 million, were meant for the Bay Area and its organizations, including major cities like San Francisco and San José as well as small climate-based nonprofits in places like East Palo Alto.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Democratic members of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works said the EPA has knowingly violated contractual obligations and court orders by terminating the grants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re trying to overwhelm us because the reality is most families in America are too busy to try to keep up,” Padilla said at a press conference on Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The senators want the EPA to reverse all terminations immediately and to stop “making further unlawful terminations.” They would also like the agency to deliver any documents and information related to the “illegal clawbacks” by March 31.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996495\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996495\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/20250325_EPAProtests_GC-16_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/20250325_EPAProtests_GC-16_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/20250325_EPAProtests_GC-16_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/20250325_EPAProtests_GC-16_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/20250325_EPAProtests_GC-16_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/20250325_EPAProtests_GC-16_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/20250325_EPAProtests_GC-16_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/20250325_EPAProtests_GC-16_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Community, environmental and climate justice groups hold an emergency rally to denounce Trump’s and Musk’s attacks on environmental laws and justice programs in front of USEPA’s Regional Headquarters in San Francisco on Tuesday, March 25, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We call on you to follow the law,” the senators wrote, adding that they want information on the agency’s decision-making process for the grant terminations and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12031373/a-radically-reshaped-epa-takes-its-toll-on-bay-area-environmental-justice-efforts\">closing of its environmental justice offices nationwide\u003c/a>, including in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Climate groups across the Bay Area have seen federal grants canceled or frozen over the last few months. Some told KQED they do not know their funding status because agency staffers have been ordered not to communicate with them. Others are blindly billing for their projects with no assurance that they will be reimbursed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In February, EPA officials terminated $20 billion in climate grants issued by the Biden administration. The money was meant to finance clean energy and environmental projects through a so-called green bank. Environmental groups filed a lawsuit in response.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The $67 million in Bay Area grants targeted by the EPA \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1996440/uncertainty-looms-over-bay-area-climate-projects-under-trump\">closely mirrors survey results\u003c/a> of Bay Area climate nonprofits, public agencies and tribes by Together Bay Area. The group found that at least $60 million in federal funding for climate projects across the region is at risk, potentially stalling wildfire prevention efforts, trail building and more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I really think that’s just the beginning,” said Annie Burke, executive director of Together Bay Area, which represents many affected organizations and agencies. “Every day, I’m getting emails saying there’s another million-dollar project that just got paused, and those million-dollar projects are things like catastrophic wildfire prevention.“\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Administration officials have also targeted diversity, equity and inclusion programs, calling them wasteful spending that needs to be cut to align with orders from President Donald Trump. The agency shuttered its environmental justice offices nationwide, including in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a statement, EPA Administrator Zeldin said environmental justice has been used “primarily as an excuse to fund left-wing activists instead of actually spending those dollars to directly remediate environmental issues for those communities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995142\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995142\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/TrumpLeeZeldinAP.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/TrumpLeeZeldinAP.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/TrumpLeeZeldinAP-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/TrumpLeeZeldinAP-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/TrumpLeeZeldinAP-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/TrumpLeeZeldinAP-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/TrumpLeeZeldinAP-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/TrumpLeeZeldinAP-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">President Donald Trump shakes hands with former Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-New York, during a roundtable at the Drexelbrook Catering & Event Center on Oct. 29, 2024, in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. \u003ccite>(Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Zeldin also announced 31 actions meant to assign more authority to the states and relax federal regulations. The administration argued that this would lower the cost of living while supporting the energy and automobile industries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are driving a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion to drive down cost of living for American families, unleash American energy, bring auto jobs back to the U.S. and more,” Zeldin said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Environmental Protection Network, made up of over 600 EPA alumni across the country who volunteer their time to protect the integrity of the agency, condemned the rollbacks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The group analyzed data from the EPA and found that for every million dollars “in favors handed to corporate polluters,” Americans “will suffer” around $6 million in health-related costs. It said the consequences of “these rollbacks will disproportionately harm vulnerable communities, exacerbating existing health inequities and accelerating environmental degradation at a time when climate disasters are becoming more frequent and severe.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The EPA’s mission is to protect human health and the environment, yet these rollbacks do the exact opposite,” said Michelle Roos, executive director of the Environmental Protection Network. “The agency is endangering lives, worsening pollution and undermining decades of progress protecting the air we breathe and the water we drink. Congress, the courts, and the public must stand up to these reckless rollbacks.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "where-to-see-wildflowers-near-you-in-the-bay-area",
"title": "Top Places to See Wildflowers Around the Bay Area",
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"content": "\u003cp>Each spring, the Bay Area’s rolling hills and coastal landscapes \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1981882/where-to-see-wildflowers-near-you-in-the-bay-area-plus-the-science-behind-the-super-bloom\">burst into color\u003c/a> as wildflowers blanket the terrain. From the iconic\u003ca href=\"https://calscape.org/Eschscholzia-californica-(California-Poppy)\"> California poppy\u003c/a> to the delicate\u003ca href=\"https://calscape.org/Primula-jeffreyi-(Sierra-Shooting-Star)\"> shooting star\u003c/a>, these blooms are just now beginning to emerge around the region.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California is the most biologically diverse state in the country and is home to more than 8,000 species of plants — over half of which are native to the state. Wildflowers have thrived in the Bay Area thanks to our Mediterranean climate of wet winters and dry summers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So with all the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area-weather\">rain we’ve been getting\u003c/a> these past few months, what’s the forecast like for wildflower blooms — or even a “super bloom” — around the Bay Area and the state?\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#superbloom-bay-area\">Jump straight to: Where to see wildflowers in bloom in the Bay Area\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>Why California probably won’t see a 2025 ‘super bloom’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As Cameron Barrows, a conservation ecologist at the Center for Conservation Biology at UC Riverside, told KQED in 2023: \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1981882/where-to-see-wildflowers-near-you-in-the-bay-area-plus-the-science-behind-the-super-bloom\">“Super bloom” is not actually a scientific term\u003c/a> and is mainly used by the media to describe incredible uncommon bloom events, when many different species of wildflowers bloom at the same time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richard Minnich, a professor at UC Riverside’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, said one of the most memorable \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2005/03/03/4521310/wet-winter-brings-life-to-death-valley\">California super blooms of the last few decades\u003c/a>, back in 2005, was thanks to a wet winter that followed extended dry periods. “The best flower year is the first dry year after a multi-year drought,” said Minnich — because the drought suppresses invasive species or annual grasses, leaving room for the wildflowers to take off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While wildflowers are starting to bloom across the state, Minnich doesn’t anticipate a “super bloom” on a par with the breathtaking displays of \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2005/03/03/4521310/wet-winter-brings-life-to-death-valley\">2005\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2019/03/19/704707396/poppy-apocalypse-california-city-swarmed-by-selfie-stick-toting-tourists\">2019\u003c/a>. In \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=30077\">Southern California state parks\u003c/a>, the year’s wildflower bloom is expected to be limited due to below-average winter rainfall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everything here [in Southern California] is parched and brittle, with little or no green sprouts. Unless there is significant rain landing in the deserts in the next few weeks, I predict the desert wildflower show will be a bust,” UC Riverside’s Barrows told KQED by email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But “a bad year for Southern California flowers doesn’t necessarily mean a bad year for Northern California flowers,” Ryan Forbes, an educator with California State Parks’ Bay Area district, told the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/weather/article/california-wildflower-bloom-20188019.php\">\u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. And the Bay Area offers many stunning spots for those eager to see wildflowers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before heading out, check park websites for any closures or conditions. To avoid crowds, consider visiting wildflower sites on weekdays.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Also, respect the landscape by staying on marked trails, avoiding flower picking, and packing out what you bring in. Wildflowers play a vital role in supporting ecosystems, and damaging them affects pollinators like bees, butterflies and hummingbirds, as well as other wildlife that depend on them for food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’d like to contribute to wildflower research, consider sharing your sightings on the \u003ca href=\"https://www.inaturalist.org/\">iNaturalist app\u003c/a> to help scientists track species distribution and seasonal changes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1984535\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1984535\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Purple wildflowers blossom.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1277\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut-1020x678.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Stems of purple lupine blossom along Grizzly Peak Boulevard in Berkeley, on April 26, 2023. \u003ccite>(Kori Suzuki/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Some of the spots listed below will bloom during the spring and summer months, and the number of flowers that actually bloom will vary every year depending on how much rain and dry weather we get. So, if you can’t make it out into nature soon, don’t worry: You’ve got time to spot some beautiful blooms over the next few months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see wildflowers in San Francisco:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/facilities/facility/details/Bernal-Heights-Park-151\">Bernal Heights\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/facilities/facility/details/coronaheightspark-328\">Corona Heights\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/facilities/facility/details/Grandview-Park-Trail-400\">Grandview Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfparksalliance.org/our-parks/parks/tank-hill\">Tank Hill\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/716/McLaren-Park\">McLaren Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/landsend.htm\">Lands End\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://presidio.gov/explore/attractions/batteries-to-bluffs-trail\">Batteries to Bluffs Trail in Presidio\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/511/Glen-Canyon-Park\">Glen Canyon Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/facilities/facility/details/Balboa-Natural-Area-325\">Balboa Natural Area\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/facilities/facility/details/Mt-Davidson-Park-190\">Mount Davidson\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see wildflowers in North Bay:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/pore/\">Point Reyes National Seashore\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=471\">Mount Tamalpais\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/tennessee_valley.htm\">Tennessee Valley\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/places/000/sca-trailhead.htm\">SCA Trail, Sausalito\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=466\">China Camp State Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see wildflowers in East Bay:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkeley_Hills\">Berkeley Hills\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/tilden\">Tilden Regional Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/coyote-hills\">Coyote Hills Regional Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/sunol\">Sunol Wilderness Regional Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.walnutcreekca.gov/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/10/664\">Shell Ridge Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=517\">Mount Diablo (near Walnut Creek)\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see wildflowers in South Bay:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://parks.sccgov.org/santa-clara-county-parks/santa-teresa-county-park\">Stile Ranch Trail at Santa Teresa County Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://parks.sccgov.org/santa-clara-county-parks/calero-county-park\">Calero County Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://parks.sccgov.org/santa-clara-county-parks/coyote-lake-harvey-bear-ranch-park\">Coyote Lake – Harvey Bear Ranch County Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://parks.sccgov.org/santa-clara-county-parks/almaden-quicksilver-county-park\">Almaden Quicksilver County Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://parks.sccgov.org/santa-clara-county-parks/joseph-d-grant-county-park\">Joseph D. Grant County Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://parks.sccgov.org/santa-clara-county-parks/uvas-canyon-county-park\">Uvas Canyon County Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://parks.ca.gov/henrycoe/\">Henry W. Coe State Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=517\">Mount Hamilton\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspaceauthority.org/preserves/rancho.html\">Rancho Cañada del Oro Open Space Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspaceauthority.org/preserves/coyotevalley.html\">Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspace.org/preserves/sierra-azul\">Mount Umunhum, Sierra Azul Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspace.org/preserves/st-josephs-hill\">Manzanita Trail, St. Joseph’s Hill Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sanjoseca.gov/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/2088/2028\">Alum Rock Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see wildflowers on the Peninsula:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/moripoint.htm\">Mori Point, Pacifica\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=531\">Half Moon Bay State Beach\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.smcgov.org/parks/san-bruno-mountain-state-county-park\">San Bruno Mountain Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.smcgov.org/parks/edgewood-park-natural-preserve\">Edgewood Park and Natural Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspace.org/preserves/pulgas-ridge\">Pulgas Ridge Reserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspace.org/preserves/russian-ridge\">Russian Ridge Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Wildflower guided tours and events:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/calendar/month?terms=wildflower\">Wildflower events at East Bay Regional Parks\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspaceauthority.org/upcoming-events?field_preserve=98&city=All&attributes=All&category=73&activities=All\">Guided hikes at Máyyan ‘Ooyákma-Coyote Ridge Open Space Preserve \u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=30077\">Spring flower bloom updates by California State Parks\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cnps-scv.org/events/wildflower-shows\">Wildflower shows at California Native Plant Society, Santa Clara Valley Chapter\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "While experts say there might not be a ‘super bloom’ this year, wildflowers in the Bay Area are still a sight to behold. Here’s where to see them.",
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"title": "Where to See the Best Wildflowers in the Bay Area | KQED",
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"headline": "Top Places to See Wildflowers Around the Bay Area",
"datePublished": "2025-03-16T04:00:27-07:00",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Each spring, the Bay Area’s rolling hills and coastal landscapes \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1981882/where-to-see-wildflowers-near-you-in-the-bay-area-plus-the-science-behind-the-super-bloom\">burst into color\u003c/a> as wildflowers blanket the terrain. From the iconic\u003ca href=\"https://calscape.org/Eschscholzia-californica-(California-Poppy)\"> California poppy\u003c/a> to the delicate\u003ca href=\"https://calscape.org/Primula-jeffreyi-(Sierra-Shooting-Star)\"> shooting star\u003c/a>, these blooms are just now beginning to emerge around the region.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California is the most biologically diverse state in the country and is home to more than 8,000 species of plants — over half of which are native to the state. Wildflowers have thrived in the Bay Area thanks to our Mediterranean climate of wet winters and dry summers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So with all the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area-weather\">rain we’ve been getting\u003c/a> these past few months, what’s the forecast like for wildflower blooms — or even a “super bloom” — around the Bay Area and the state?\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#superbloom-bay-area\">Jump straight to: Where to see wildflowers in bloom in the Bay Area\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>Why California probably won’t see a 2025 ‘super bloom’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As Cameron Barrows, a conservation ecologist at the Center for Conservation Biology at UC Riverside, told KQED in 2023: \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1981882/where-to-see-wildflowers-near-you-in-the-bay-area-plus-the-science-behind-the-super-bloom\">“Super bloom” is not actually a scientific term\u003c/a> and is mainly used by the media to describe incredible uncommon bloom events, when many different species of wildflowers bloom at the same time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richard Minnich, a professor at UC Riverside’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, said one of the most memorable \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2005/03/03/4521310/wet-winter-brings-life-to-death-valley\">California super blooms of the last few decades\u003c/a>, back in 2005, was thanks to a wet winter that followed extended dry periods. “The best flower year is the first dry year after a multi-year drought,” said Minnich — because the drought suppresses invasive species or annual grasses, leaving room for the wildflowers to take off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While wildflowers are starting to bloom across the state, Minnich doesn’t anticipate a “super bloom” on a par with the breathtaking displays of \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2005/03/03/4521310/wet-winter-brings-life-to-death-valley\">2005\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2019/03/19/704707396/poppy-apocalypse-california-city-swarmed-by-selfie-stick-toting-tourists\">2019\u003c/a>. In \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=30077\">Southern California state parks\u003c/a>, the year’s wildflower bloom is expected to be limited due to below-average winter rainfall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everything here [in Southern California] is parched and brittle, with little or no green sprouts. Unless there is significant rain landing in the deserts in the next few weeks, I predict the desert wildflower show will be a bust,” UC Riverside’s Barrows told KQED by email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But “a bad year for Southern California flowers doesn’t necessarily mean a bad year for Northern California flowers,” Ryan Forbes, an educator with California State Parks’ Bay Area district, told the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/weather/article/california-wildflower-bloom-20188019.php\">\u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. And the Bay Area offers many stunning spots for those eager to see wildflowers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before heading out, check park websites for any closures or conditions. To avoid crowds, consider visiting wildflower sites on weekdays.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Also, respect the landscape by staying on marked trails, avoiding flower picking, and packing out what you bring in. Wildflowers play a vital role in supporting ecosystems, and damaging them affects pollinators like bees, butterflies and hummingbirds, as well as other wildlife that depend on them for food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’d like to contribute to wildflower research, consider sharing your sightings on the \u003ca href=\"https://www.inaturalist.org/\">iNaturalist app\u003c/a> to help scientists track species distribution and seasonal changes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1984535\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1984535\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Purple wildflowers blossom.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1277\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut-1020x678.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Stems of purple lupine blossom along Grizzly Peak Boulevard in Berkeley, on April 26, 2023. \u003ccite>(Kori Suzuki/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Some of the spots listed below will bloom during the spring and summer months, and the number of flowers that actually bloom will vary every year depending on how much rain and dry weather we get. So, if you can’t make it out into nature soon, don’t worry: You’ve got time to spot some beautiful blooms over the next few months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see wildflowers in San Francisco:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/facilities/facility/details/Bernal-Heights-Park-151\">Bernal Heights\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/facilities/facility/details/coronaheightspark-328\">Corona Heights\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/facilities/facility/details/Grandview-Park-Trail-400\">Grandview Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfparksalliance.org/our-parks/parks/tank-hill\">Tank Hill\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/716/McLaren-Park\">McLaren Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/landsend.htm\">Lands End\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://presidio.gov/explore/attractions/batteries-to-bluffs-trail\">Batteries to Bluffs Trail in Presidio\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/511/Glen-Canyon-Park\">Glen Canyon Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/facilities/facility/details/Balboa-Natural-Area-325\">Balboa Natural Area\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/facilities/facility/details/Mt-Davidson-Park-190\">Mount Davidson\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see wildflowers in North Bay:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/pore/\">Point Reyes National Seashore\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=471\">Mount Tamalpais\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/tennessee_valley.htm\">Tennessee Valley\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/places/000/sca-trailhead.htm\">SCA Trail, Sausalito\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=466\">China Camp State Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see wildflowers in East Bay:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkeley_Hills\">Berkeley Hills\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/tilden\">Tilden Regional Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/coyote-hills\">Coyote Hills Regional Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/sunol\">Sunol Wilderness Regional Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.walnutcreekca.gov/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/10/664\">Shell Ridge Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=517\">Mount Diablo (near Walnut Creek)\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see wildflowers in South Bay:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://parks.sccgov.org/santa-clara-county-parks/santa-teresa-county-park\">Stile Ranch Trail at Santa Teresa County Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://parks.sccgov.org/santa-clara-county-parks/calero-county-park\">Calero County Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://parks.sccgov.org/santa-clara-county-parks/coyote-lake-harvey-bear-ranch-park\">Coyote Lake – Harvey Bear Ranch County Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://parks.sccgov.org/santa-clara-county-parks/almaden-quicksilver-county-park\">Almaden Quicksilver County Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://parks.sccgov.org/santa-clara-county-parks/joseph-d-grant-county-park\">Joseph D. Grant County Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://parks.sccgov.org/santa-clara-county-parks/uvas-canyon-county-park\">Uvas Canyon County Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://parks.ca.gov/henrycoe/\">Henry W. Coe State Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=517\">Mount Hamilton\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspaceauthority.org/preserves/rancho.html\">Rancho Cañada del Oro Open Space Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspaceauthority.org/preserves/coyotevalley.html\">Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspace.org/preserves/sierra-azul\">Mount Umunhum, Sierra Azul Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspace.org/preserves/st-josephs-hill\">Manzanita Trail, St. Joseph’s Hill Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sanjoseca.gov/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/2088/2028\">Alum Rock Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see wildflowers on the Peninsula:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/moripoint.htm\">Mori Point, Pacifica\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=531\">Half Moon Bay State Beach\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.smcgov.org/parks/san-bruno-mountain-state-county-park\">San Bruno Mountain Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.smcgov.org/parks/edgewood-park-natural-preserve\">Edgewood Park and Natural Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspace.org/preserves/pulgas-ridge\">Pulgas Ridge Reserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspace.org/preserves/russian-ridge\">Russian Ridge Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Wildflower guided tours and events:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/calendar/month?terms=wildflower\">Wildflower events at East Bay Regional Parks\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspaceauthority.org/upcoming-events?field_preserve=98&city=All&attributes=All&category=73&activities=All\">Guided hikes at Máyyan ‘Ooyákma-Coyote Ridge Open Space Preserve \u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=30077\">Spring flower bloom updates by California State Parks\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cnps-scv.org/events/wildflower-shows\">Wildflower shows at California Native Plant Society, Santa Clara Valley Chapter\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>As of Feb. 14, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/02/26/nx-s1-5307908/national-parks-layoffs-visitors-disruptions\">President Donald Trump’s administration has fired roughly 1,000 National Park Service employees\u003c/a> — about 5% of its workforce — as part of \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/02/07/nx-s1-5288988/doge-elon-musk-staff-trump\">a broader effort to reduce the federal workforce\u003c/a>. The plan, spearheaded by billionaire Elon Musk and the newly established Department of Government Efficiency, has faced \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/video/protests-hit-yosemite-over-national-park-layoffs/\">widespread criticism from outdoor enthusiasts\u003c/a> and former park employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While 5,000 seasonal jobs that were also originally cut \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-02-20/trump-administration-backtracks-eliminating-thousands-national-parks-employees\">have now been reinstated\u003c/a> following public pushback, permanent employees still in their probationary period — many of whom played roles in conservation and park operations — remain unemployed and are uncertain about their future. NPS told KQED in an email that it is hiring seasonal workers to ensure visitors “have a chance to explore and connect” with our national parks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the Bay Area, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/index.htm\">Golden Gate National Recreation Area\u003c/a> — which includes \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/muwo\">Muir Woods\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/alca\">Alcatraz Island\u003c/a>, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/prsf\">Presidio\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/fopo\">Fort Point National Historic Site\u003c/a> — expects to lose 60 to 80 employees, according to Chris Lehnertz, president and CEO of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This administration is using very blunt tools to reduce government in a way that doesn’t regard parks,” Lehnertz said on a recent episode of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101909000/what-trumps-order-to-dramatically-reduce-presidio-trust-means-for-the-beloved-park\">Forum\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/kenanchan/\">Kenan Chan\u003c/a>, a former marine scientist at Channel Islands National Park, was one such national parks worker affected. His work focused on intertidal monitoring for \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/im/medn/rocky-intertidal-habitat.htm\">a program\u003c/a> that tracked changes in population in kelp forests, algae, invertebrates and fish for over 40 years — with the goal to identify trends and potential threats to the ecosystem’s overall health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chan, who is from the Bay Area, had been with NPS as a seasonal employee for a decade before finally securing a permanent position in October last year. But just months into his new role, he was let go on Valentine’s Day — and “it happened very fast and unexpectedly,” Chan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996204\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996204\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/IMG_2514-scaled-e1740701051907.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1250\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/IMG_2514-scaled-e1740701051907.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/IMG_2514-scaled-e1740701051907-800x521.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/IMG_2514-scaled-e1740701051907-1020x664.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/IMG_2514-scaled-e1740701051907-160x104.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/IMG_2514-scaled-e1740701051907-768x500.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/IMG_2514-scaled-e1740701051907-1536x1000.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Former marine scientist Kenan Chan working on long-term intertidal monitoring at Channel Islands National Park. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Kenan Chan)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>How will national parks — and their visitors — be changed by these losses?\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>These layoffs have included public-facing roles like campsite maintenance, custodial teams and even search and rescue personnel — the absence of which can have extreme consequences for visitor safety.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ranger_wild/\">Alex Wild\u003c/a>, a former interpretive ranger and Emergency Medical Technician at Devil’s Postpile National Monument, about 50 miles south of Yosemite, told \u003ca href=\"https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/trump-job-cuts-threaten-safety-at-national-parks-workers-say\">Bloomberg\u003c/a> that in the summer and fall, he would respond to emergency calls “two to three times a week and mostly on weekends, to respond to visitor emergencies.” These situations, said Wild, can range from “a twisted ankle” to “a flare-up of a heart condition.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fewer staff performing emergency medical technician and search and rescue roles means that visitors might have to wait longer for the remaining staff to respond to emergencies. \u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#A\">Jump ahead to: What should national parks visitors know about safety amid the layoffs?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The layoffs have impacted not only public-facing positions like campsite maintenance and search and rescue but also roles that usually go unnoticed and are essential for long-term park health. “There are a lot of things that happen behind the scenes that are critical to ensuring the park maintains a healthy system, which will be maintained for generations to come,” Chan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chan’s work has helped track changes experienced at the Channel Islands. “We’ve documented new invasive species, we’ve tracked the decline of some abalone species, we’ve contributed to countless research projects. This data helps inform fellow scientists and policymakers,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DGRIKzqTK-0/?img_index=4\">he wrote in his Instagram post\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chan hopes that the parks are able to restore the staff shortage “to allow the American people to fully enjoy these beautiful and amazing resources that we have. They are meant for everybody to enjoy,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We do it because we love it. We’re passionate about the mission of the park service.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Planning to visit? Set your expectations\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In recent years, staff shortages at national parks — albeit on a much larger scale than these recent layoffs — have had big impacts on visitors. During the 2018 government shutdown that saw \u003ca href=\"https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/minority/updated-impacts-of-the-trump-shutdown-\">80% of NPS employees furloughed\u003c/a>, fewer emergency and law enforcement personnel were left to police the parks or rescue injured guests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the recent layoffs, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/outdoors/article/yosemite-reservations-trump-20145111.php\">Yosemite National Park has delayed its summer campground reservations\u003c/a>. These reservations were implemented to better manage crowds and visitor expectations for the millions of summer visitors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beth Pratt, California regional executive director at the National Wildlife Federation, said this delay could lead to overcrowding, damage to wildlife, and strain on park infrastructure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The reservations are usually open five months in advance, and experts worry that this delay may be “too close to the summer season to adequately plan for the park’s annual crush of visitors to avoid complications for both visitors and park infrastructure,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2025/02/yosemite-delay-summer-campground-reservation-sales-amid-staffing-crisis\">wrote Justin Housman on National Parks Traveler\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Visitors should check \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/index.htm\">Yosemite’s website\u003c/a> for the latest on camping and reservations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Neal Desai, Pacific regional director at the National Parks Conservation Association, NPCA — an independent, nonpartisan organization advocating for the NPS — said these recent park layoffs will impact the visitor experience in many ways, including:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Traffic into some parks will be longer than usual.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Park staff will pull back camping reservations.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Parking will be harder to find due to larger crowds and less staff to manage them.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Trash may be overflowing from trash cans and dumpsters due to a lack of a cleanup crew.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Bathrooms and trails in certain parks will be unmaintained.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Guided tours and ranger programs for kids may also be closed or have reduced hours.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003ca id=\"A\">\u003c/a>With layoffs impacting search and rescue staff as well as park EMTs, visitors should also plan ahead in case an emergency arises during their national park visit:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Be aware of weather alerts and warnings — and take extra caution at parks like Death Valley, where temperatures can rise to the hundreds in the summer. Prepare to cancel plans if weather conditions aren’t in your favor.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Bring your own emergency kit that includes medicine, first aid supplies, food, water and other essentials. This list by NPS provides an overview of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/articles/10essentials.htm\">10 essentials in an emergency kit\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Be prepared to “self-rescue.” Wild told the \u003ca href=\"https://sfstandard.com/2025/02/20/yosemite-national-park-staff-cuts/\">SF Standard\u003c/a> that visitors should be prepared to treat a national park “like a wilderness area and manage your own emergency.”\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Take extra caution when hiking more difficult terrain in parks, in the knowledge that if search and rescue roles have been cut in that park you’re visiting, you may have to manage a possible emergency situation on your own.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Desai encourages future visitors to set expectations before visiting a national park, understanding that the experience may not be what they were necessarily expecting due to park staff layoffs. “People have these expectations of what a visit to a national park should be. And they should expect to be disappointed if things [like staff shortages] don’t turn around,” he said.[aside label='Related Coverage' tag='national-parks']Desai also advises future visitors to proactively watch for updates from the park’s official websites and NPCA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jonathan Farrington, CEO of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.yosemite.com/\">Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau\u003c/a>, urged visitors not to cancel their plans but to be mindful of the park’s limitations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If a family member asked me if they should come to Yosemite this year, I would absolutely say yes,” said Farrington in an email to KQED. But he also urged people to “visit responsibly,” recommending that tourists:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Plan their stay in advance.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Arrive early.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Avoid peak traffic areas and promontories “between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.”\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>As the federal cuts continue to ripple through the park service, Desai encouraged visitors to show appreciation for the remaining park staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These are folks who have devoted their lives to helping people create lifetime memories in these special places,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And so, if you’re visiting a park and you see a park ranger, give them thanks and words of encouragement — because they deserve it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>NPS cuts deemed ‘unstrategic’ and ‘bad politics’\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>From \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DGIfyW3NUdE/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==\">park rangers\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/olakthepolak/\">custodial roles\u003c/a> to \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DGLxMKbyKwq/\">locksmiths\u003c/a> and rescue officers, many former NPS employees like Channel Islands National Park’s Chan have taken to social media to share their stories and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DGMT7C1SgoU/\">ways people can help America’s national parks\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These stories that are coming out are reminding people of the value of these types of jobs and the importance of the national park system,” Desai said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A poll conducted before Trump’s inauguration shows that \u003ca href=\"https://www.westword.com/news/even-maga-voters-oppose-cuts-national-parks-forest-services-23648871\">the majority of Americans approve of the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service’s performance\u003c/a> across political party lines, with even Republicans identifying as “MAGA” overwhelmingly opposing cuts to these agencies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the NPCA, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npca.org/articles/6911-lost-jobs-broken-hearts-and-harms-to-national-parks\">NPS funding accounts for less than one-fifteenth of one percent of the federal budget\u003c/a>. Yet, in 2023, \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1207/national-parks-contributed-record-high-%2455-6-billion-to-u-s-economy-supported-415-000-jobs-in-2023.htm\">national parks contributed $55.6 billion to the economy\u003c/a> and supported 415,000 jobs in nearby communities. That same year, 325.5 million visitors spent $26.4 billion in gateway towns, highlighting the financial ripple effect of park operations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Desai called the cuts “unstrategic” and “bad politics.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our national parks are loved by all Americans across the political spectrum. They’re one of the few nonpartisan issues we see in our nation,” he said. “And they happen to be equally owned by every single person … attacking this institution is bad politics.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story contains reporting from KQED’s Gilare Zada.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>As of Feb. 14, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/02/26/nx-s1-5307908/national-parks-layoffs-visitors-disruptions\">President Donald Trump’s administration has fired roughly 1,000 National Park Service employees\u003c/a> — about 5% of its workforce — as part of \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/02/07/nx-s1-5288988/doge-elon-musk-staff-trump\">a broader effort to reduce the federal workforce\u003c/a>. The plan, spearheaded by billionaire Elon Musk and the newly established Department of Government Efficiency, has faced \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/video/protests-hit-yosemite-over-national-park-layoffs/\">widespread criticism from outdoor enthusiasts\u003c/a> and former park employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While 5,000 seasonal jobs that were also originally cut \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-02-20/trump-administration-backtracks-eliminating-thousands-national-parks-employees\">have now been reinstated\u003c/a> following public pushback, permanent employees still in their probationary period — many of whom played roles in conservation and park operations — remain unemployed and are uncertain about their future. NPS told KQED in an email that it is hiring seasonal workers to ensure visitors “have a chance to explore and connect” with our national parks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the Bay Area, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/index.htm\">Golden Gate National Recreation Area\u003c/a> — which includes \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/muwo\">Muir Woods\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/alca\">Alcatraz Island\u003c/a>, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/prsf\">Presidio\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/fopo\">Fort Point National Historic Site\u003c/a> — expects to lose 60 to 80 employees, according to Chris Lehnertz, president and CEO of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This administration is using very blunt tools to reduce government in a way that doesn’t regard parks,” Lehnertz said on a recent episode of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101909000/what-trumps-order-to-dramatically-reduce-presidio-trust-means-for-the-beloved-park\">Forum\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/kenanchan/\">Kenan Chan\u003c/a>, a former marine scientist at Channel Islands National Park, was one such national parks worker affected. His work focused on intertidal monitoring for \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/im/medn/rocky-intertidal-habitat.htm\">a program\u003c/a> that tracked changes in population in kelp forests, algae, invertebrates and fish for over 40 years — with the goal to identify trends and potential threats to the ecosystem’s overall health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chan, who is from the Bay Area, had been with NPS as a seasonal employee for a decade before finally securing a permanent position in October last year. But just months into his new role, he was let go on Valentine’s Day — and “it happened very fast and unexpectedly,” Chan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996204\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996204\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/IMG_2514-scaled-e1740701051907.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1250\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/IMG_2514-scaled-e1740701051907.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/IMG_2514-scaled-e1740701051907-800x521.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/IMG_2514-scaled-e1740701051907-1020x664.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/IMG_2514-scaled-e1740701051907-160x104.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/IMG_2514-scaled-e1740701051907-768x500.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/IMG_2514-scaled-e1740701051907-1536x1000.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Former marine scientist Kenan Chan working on long-term intertidal monitoring at Channel Islands National Park. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Kenan Chan)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>How will national parks — and their visitors — be changed by these losses?\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>These layoffs have included public-facing roles like campsite maintenance, custodial teams and even search and rescue personnel — the absence of which can have extreme consequences for visitor safety.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ranger_wild/\">Alex Wild\u003c/a>, a former interpretive ranger and Emergency Medical Technician at Devil’s Postpile National Monument, about 50 miles south of Yosemite, told \u003ca href=\"https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/trump-job-cuts-threaten-safety-at-national-parks-workers-say\">Bloomberg\u003c/a> that in the summer and fall, he would respond to emergency calls “two to three times a week and mostly on weekends, to respond to visitor emergencies.” These situations, said Wild, can range from “a twisted ankle” to “a flare-up of a heart condition.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fewer staff performing emergency medical technician and search and rescue roles means that visitors might have to wait longer for the remaining staff to respond to emergencies. \u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#A\">Jump ahead to: What should national parks visitors know about safety amid the layoffs?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The layoffs have impacted not only public-facing positions like campsite maintenance and search and rescue but also roles that usually go unnoticed and are essential for long-term park health. “There are a lot of things that happen behind the scenes that are critical to ensuring the park maintains a healthy system, which will be maintained for generations to come,” Chan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chan’s work has helped track changes experienced at the Channel Islands. “We’ve documented new invasive species, we’ve tracked the decline of some abalone species, we’ve contributed to countless research projects. This data helps inform fellow scientists and policymakers,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DGRIKzqTK-0/?img_index=4\">he wrote in his Instagram post\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chan hopes that the parks are able to restore the staff shortage “to allow the American people to fully enjoy these beautiful and amazing resources that we have. They are meant for everybody to enjoy,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We do it because we love it. We’re passionate about the mission of the park service.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Planning to visit? Set your expectations\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In recent years, staff shortages at national parks — albeit on a much larger scale than these recent layoffs — have had big impacts on visitors. During the 2018 government shutdown that saw \u003ca href=\"https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/minority/updated-impacts-of-the-trump-shutdown-\">80% of NPS employees furloughed\u003c/a>, fewer emergency and law enforcement personnel were left to police the parks or rescue injured guests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the recent layoffs, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/outdoors/article/yosemite-reservations-trump-20145111.php\">Yosemite National Park has delayed its summer campground reservations\u003c/a>. These reservations were implemented to better manage crowds and visitor expectations for the millions of summer visitors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beth Pratt, California regional executive director at the National Wildlife Federation, said this delay could lead to overcrowding, damage to wildlife, and strain on park infrastructure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The reservations are usually open five months in advance, and experts worry that this delay may be “too close to the summer season to adequately plan for the park’s annual crush of visitors to avoid complications for both visitors and park infrastructure,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2025/02/yosemite-delay-summer-campground-reservation-sales-amid-staffing-crisis\">wrote Justin Housman on National Parks Traveler\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Visitors should check \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/index.htm\">Yosemite’s website\u003c/a> for the latest on camping and reservations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Neal Desai, Pacific regional director at the National Parks Conservation Association, NPCA — an independent, nonpartisan organization advocating for the NPS — said these recent park layoffs will impact the visitor experience in many ways, including:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Traffic into some parks will be longer than usual.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Park staff will pull back camping reservations.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Parking will be harder to find due to larger crowds and less staff to manage them.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Trash may be overflowing from trash cans and dumpsters due to a lack of a cleanup crew.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Bathrooms and trails in certain parks will be unmaintained.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Guided tours and ranger programs for kids may also be closed or have reduced hours.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003ca id=\"A\">\u003c/a>With layoffs impacting search and rescue staff as well as park EMTs, visitors should also plan ahead in case an emergency arises during their national park visit:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Be aware of weather alerts and warnings — and take extra caution at parks like Death Valley, where temperatures can rise to the hundreds in the summer. Prepare to cancel plans if weather conditions aren’t in your favor.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Bring your own emergency kit that includes medicine, first aid supplies, food, water and other essentials. This list by NPS provides an overview of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/articles/10essentials.htm\">10 essentials in an emergency kit\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Be prepared to “self-rescue.” Wild told the \u003ca href=\"https://sfstandard.com/2025/02/20/yosemite-national-park-staff-cuts/\">SF Standard\u003c/a> that visitors should be prepared to treat a national park “like a wilderness area and manage your own emergency.”\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Take extra caution when hiking more difficult terrain in parks, in the knowledge that if search and rescue roles have been cut in that park you’re visiting, you may have to manage a possible emergency situation on your own.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Desai encourages future visitors to set expectations before visiting a national park, understanding that the experience may not be what they were necessarily expecting due to park staff layoffs. “People have these expectations of what a visit to a national park should be. And they should expect to be disappointed if things [like staff shortages] don’t turn around,” he said.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Desai also advises future visitors to proactively watch for updates from the park’s official websites and NPCA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jonathan Farrington, CEO of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.yosemite.com/\">Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau\u003c/a>, urged visitors not to cancel their plans but to be mindful of the park’s limitations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If a family member asked me if they should come to Yosemite this year, I would absolutely say yes,” said Farrington in an email to KQED. But he also urged people to “visit responsibly,” recommending that tourists:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Plan their stay in advance.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Arrive early.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Avoid peak traffic areas and promontories “between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.”\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>As the federal cuts continue to ripple through the park service, Desai encouraged visitors to show appreciation for the remaining park staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These are folks who have devoted their lives to helping people create lifetime memories in these special places,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And so, if you’re visiting a park and you see a park ranger, give them thanks and words of encouragement — because they deserve it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>NPS cuts deemed ‘unstrategic’ and ‘bad politics’\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>From \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DGIfyW3NUdE/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==\">park rangers\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/olakthepolak/\">custodial roles\u003c/a> to \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DGLxMKbyKwq/\">locksmiths\u003c/a> and rescue officers, many former NPS employees like Channel Islands National Park’s Chan have taken to social media to share their stories and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DGMT7C1SgoU/\">ways people can help America’s national parks\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These stories that are coming out are reminding people of the value of these types of jobs and the importance of the national park system,” Desai said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A poll conducted before Trump’s inauguration shows that \u003ca href=\"https://www.westword.com/news/even-maga-voters-oppose-cuts-national-parks-forest-services-23648871\">the majority of Americans approve of the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service’s performance\u003c/a> across political party lines, with even Republicans identifying as “MAGA” overwhelmingly opposing cuts to these agencies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the NPCA, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npca.org/articles/6911-lost-jobs-broken-hearts-and-harms-to-national-parks\">NPS funding accounts for less than one-fifteenth of one percent of the federal budget\u003c/a>. Yet, in 2023, \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1207/national-parks-contributed-record-high-%2455-6-billion-to-u-s-economy-supported-415-000-jobs-in-2023.htm\">national parks contributed $55.6 billion to the economy\u003c/a> and supported 415,000 jobs in nearby communities. That same year, 325.5 million visitors spent $26.4 billion in gateway towns, highlighting the financial ripple effect of park operations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Desai called the cuts “unstrategic” and “bad politics.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our national parks are loved by all Americans across the political spectrum. They’re one of the few nonpartisan issues we see in our nation,” he said. “And they happen to be equally owned by every single person … attacking this institution is bad politics.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story contains reporting from KQED’s Gilare Zada.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Praying mantises, barnacles, newts and earthworms have some of the strangest love lives.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>We get it, dating is hard. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From meeting the right special someone, to getting to know them, to avoiding imminent death. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bizarre romantic lives of these four tiny creatures sometimes end in strange and tragic ways. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Especially for the praying mantis. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When it comes to hooking up, a male mantis has good reason to fear commitment.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Praying Mantis Love is Waaay Weirder Than You Think\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>This mantis is at the top of her game.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All summer, she’s been bulking up on grasshoppers and flies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re called bordered mantises. Ambush hunters, cloaked by camouflage – some green and some brown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And check out those forelimbs. They’re lined with sharp spikes – almost like a couple extra sets of jaws to grab her prey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’ve served her well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But summer is coming to an end here in California’s Owens Valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The one thing left for them to do is start the next generation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She sends out a chemical signal – an alluring cocktail of pheromones – into the air.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This guy picks up the message.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s way, way smaller than she is, simply outclassed when it comes to strength and deadliness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He makes his move, to pass on his genes …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uh …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s one way to go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And he’s not the only male to meet his end this way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So why would praying mantises do this – eat their own kind at a rather intimate moment? Seems like they wouldn’t last long as a species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, it takes a ton of energy for females to produce their eggs, about a hundred of them developing inside her. She’ll lay them in a foamy cluster like this called an ootheca.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So that male is fueling the survival of his species, nutritionally speaking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When they hatch in the spring, there will be plenty more mantises to replace this one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And these bordered mantises weren’t going to live much longer anyway. They can’t survive the cold autumn nights. So males might as well take a shot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aww … This time it worked out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He delivers a packet of sperm to fertilize her eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But each time, it’s a serious gamble.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, that didn’t go so well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But wait, look.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s been decapitated, but his body is still moving, like it’s on autopilot – kind of a zombie mating machine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s being controlled by nerves in the mantis’ abdomen and can still get the job done. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, males who successfully mate and get eaten in the process may father more eggs than those who get away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, while it may not really seem that way, this guy may be the ultimate winner in the primal quest to pass on his genes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Barnacles might look like jagged little rocks at low tide. But they’re surprisingly well-equipped when it comes to finding a date.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Barnacles Go To Unbelievable Lengths To Hook Up\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Finding a date is hard enough in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s especially tricky when you’re stuck to a rock in the middle of the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, acorn barnacles don’t get discouraged.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These crusty little animals actually have a pretty wild sex life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At low tide each one is sealed up inside its own miniature fortress. shielded by a ring of armored plates. The two central plates press together to form a water-tight seal so they don’t dry out in the open air. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re ready and waiting for the tide to rise so they can get down to business. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But first they need to freshen up a bit. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The barnacle unfurls eight pairs of delicate feathery legs called cirri, which they use to absorb oxygen from the water. The legs filter out plankton and debris churned up by the waves, bringing the catch inside to the mouth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They may not look like it from the outside, but beneath their shell it’s easier to see that barnacles are crustaceans related to crabs and shrimp.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After a nice meal, it’s ready for some action. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The little barnacle lets loose the longest penis of any animal – relative to its body size of course – stretching up to eight times the length of the barnacle itself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And this penis has skills. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It can taste and smell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And the tip can feel around, probing to see which neighbors have ripe eggs inside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When it finds what it’s looking for the barnacle delivers sperm to fertilize the eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Barnacles aren’t exactly prudes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pretty much everyone is fair play. Because they’re all hermaphrodites, simultaneously male and female.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sometimes it’s one-on-one, sometimes more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Barnacles are nurturing parents, too. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They hold on to their fertilized eggs and protect them until they hatch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These cuties are their baby larvae called nauplii. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is the young barnacles’ chance for adventure. They roam the sea searching for food and growing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If they survive long enough the barnacle larvae mature into cyprids. At this stage the barnacle doesn’t eat. The cyprid’s only mission is to find the ideal spot to glom onto before it starves. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Having survived the trials of youth, the barnacle settles in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now it’s time to get to know the neighbors. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How far would you go for love? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California newts make an epic journey back to the pond where they were born. Check it out. \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Newt Sex: Buff Males! Writhing Females! Cannibalism!\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Life is struggle. Sex. Death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s true across nature. It’s especially true for a newt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most of the time, California newts live quiet, hidden lives in the forest. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But every winter – and newts can live for 20 years – they experience an uncontrollable urge. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s called water drive. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They leave the safety of their burrows to go mate. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They begin a treacherous odyssey, a migration back to the pond in which they were born.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It begins with a hormone called prolactin, the same one that helps women produce breast milk. In newts, prolactin sparks a need to become aquatic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Water could be miles away, like three miles. That’s the equivalent of 36 miles for you and me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists don’t know for sure, but some think newts use their sense of smell to help guide them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they only have one real defense against snakes hiding in the brush: their skin. It’s covered in a poison strong enough to kill a person, if you ate one. Newts’ yellow eyes and belly tell predators to stay away. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But poison isn’t always enough to protect them. Many never make it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As they move toward water, newts’ skin starts to lose its bumps and becomes smooth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their long tails flatten into fins. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their amphibian bodies transform from terrestrial to aquatic to prepare for a mating frenzy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The male newt bulks up. It grows thick pads on its feet, perfect for clamping onto a female. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The word is “amplexus,” Latin for “embrace,” which is one word for it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newts can stay like this for hours, or days. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The result: egg clusters that females lay in the pond. So many eggs that newts sometimes eat a few for extra protein.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ones that survive will grow into larvae and stay in the water for several months, transforming into adults. In the fall, they’ll leave the pond.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then, if they’re lucky, they’ll come back here, again, and again, and again. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Or at least, they’ll try.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Earthworm Love Is Cuddly … and Complicated\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Earthworm love. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s cuddly … and complicated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From the start, the earthworm is built for romance, with four or five pairs of hearts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Finding a match, though, that’s a challenge for these mostly solitary animals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They go out looking when they’re a few months to a year old, and they’ve grown this fleshy, saddle-shaped patch, called a clitellum. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re now mature enough to get down to business. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tube-shaped invertebrate seeks mate to share loamy soil and good times.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The earthworm follows tastes and smells through dirt or leaf litter to find its valentine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It crawls around by anchoring its body with these bristles called setae … then pushing forward with its muscles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Along the way, it fuels up on bacteria and tiny fungi in the soil and leaves, sucking them in with its mouth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Such a luscious … lip?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every earthworm has some non-negotiables: Must breathe through iridescent skin. Must want kids. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But male or female is not one of them. All earthworms are both. They’re hermaphrodites, which automatically doubles their chances of finding a mate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When they do, they waste no time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Side by side, they surround each other with rings of slime they exude from their skin, bodies pointing in opposite directions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they embrace with these flaps on their clitella.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They can canoodle like this for an hour, swapping sperm. It travels outside their bodies, here, where they press up against each other, and flows between these segments into storage sacs inside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But their tender act has a dark side. As they do the deed, the earthworms stab each other with their pointy setae.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those wounds mean the injured lovers won’t be hooking up with others anytime soon. Jealous much?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After they’ve parted ways, each earthworm produces a sheath with its clitellum and shimmies it down its tubular body. The protein-rich ring moves over tiny holes where it gathers eggs and some of the collected sperm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, it slips right off the worm and becomes a cocoon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Baby worms flourish inside, growing beating hearts that one day they’ll give to their special someone.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"description": "Praying mantises, barnacles, newts and earthworms have some of the strangest love lives.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Praying mantises, barnacles, newts and earthworms have some of the strangest love lives.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>We get it, dating is hard. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From meeting the right special someone, to getting to know them, to avoiding imminent death. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bizarre romantic lives of these four tiny creatures sometimes end in strange and tragic ways. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Especially for the praying mantis. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When it comes to hooking up, a male mantis has good reason to fear commitment.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Praying Mantis Love is Waaay Weirder Than You Think\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>This mantis is at the top of her game.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All summer, she’s been bulking up on grasshoppers and flies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re called bordered mantises. Ambush hunters, cloaked by camouflage – some green and some brown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And check out those forelimbs. They’re lined with sharp spikes – almost like a couple extra sets of jaws to grab her prey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’ve served her well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But summer is coming to an end here in California’s Owens Valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The one thing left for them to do is start the next generation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She sends out a chemical signal – an alluring cocktail of pheromones – into the air.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This guy picks up the message.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s way, way smaller than she is, simply outclassed when it comes to strength and deadliness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He makes his move, to pass on his genes …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uh …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s one way to go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And he’s not the only male to meet his end this way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So why would praying mantises do this – eat their own kind at a rather intimate moment? Seems like they wouldn’t last long as a species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, it takes a ton of energy for females to produce their eggs, about a hundred of them developing inside her. She’ll lay them in a foamy cluster like this called an ootheca.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So that male is fueling the survival of his species, nutritionally speaking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When they hatch in the spring, there will be plenty more mantises to replace this one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And these bordered mantises weren’t going to live much longer anyway. They can’t survive the cold autumn nights. So males might as well take a shot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aww … This time it worked out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He delivers a packet of sperm to fertilize her eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But each time, it’s a serious gamble.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, that didn’t go so well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But wait, look.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s been decapitated, but his body is still moving, like it’s on autopilot – kind of a zombie mating machine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s being controlled by nerves in the mantis’ abdomen and can still get the job done. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, males who successfully mate and get eaten in the process may father more eggs than those who get away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, while it may not really seem that way, this guy may be the ultimate winner in the primal quest to pass on his genes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Barnacles might look like jagged little rocks at low tide. But they’re surprisingly well-equipped when it comes to finding a date.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Barnacles Go To Unbelievable Lengths To Hook Up\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Finding a date is hard enough in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s especially tricky when you’re stuck to a rock in the middle of the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, acorn barnacles don’t get discouraged.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These crusty little animals actually have a pretty wild sex life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At low tide each one is sealed up inside its own miniature fortress. shielded by a ring of armored plates. The two central plates press together to form a water-tight seal so they don’t dry out in the open air. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re ready and waiting for the tide to rise so they can get down to business. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But first they need to freshen up a bit. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The barnacle unfurls eight pairs of delicate feathery legs called cirri, which they use to absorb oxygen from the water. The legs filter out plankton and debris churned up by the waves, bringing the catch inside to the mouth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They may not look like it from the outside, but beneath their shell it’s easier to see that barnacles are crustaceans related to crabs and shrimp.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After a nice meal, it’s ready for some action. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The little barnacle lets loose the longest penis of any animal – relative to its body size of course – stretching up to eight times the length of the barnacle itself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And this penis has skills. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It can taste and smell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And the tip can feel around, probing to see which neighbors have ripe eggs inside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When it finds what it’s looking for the barnacle delivers sperm to fertilize the eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Barnacles aren’t exactly prudes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pretty much everyone is fair play. Because they’re all hermaphrodites, simultaneously male and female.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sometimes it’s one-on-one, sometimes more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Barnacles are nurturing parents, too. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They hold on to their fertilized eggs and protect them until they hatch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These cuties are their baby larvae called nauplii. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is the young barnacles’ chance for adventure. They roam the sea searching for food and growing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If they survive long enough the barnacle larvae mature into cyprids. At this stage the barnacle doesn’t eat. The cyprid’s only mission is to find the ideal spot to glom onto before it starves. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Having survived the trials of youth, the barnacle settles in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now it’s time to get to know the neighbors. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How far would you go for love? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California newts make an epic journey back to the pond where they were born. Check it out. \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Newt Sex: Buff Males! Writhing Females! Cannibalism!\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Life is struggle. Sex. Death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s true across nature. It’s especially true for a newt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most of the time, California newts live quiet, hidden lives in the forest. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But every winter – and newts can live for 20 years – they experience an uncontrollable urge. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s called water drive. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They leave the safety of their burrows to go mate. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They begin a treacherous odyssey, a migration back to the pond in which they were born.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It begins with a hormone called prolactin, the same one that helps women produce breast milk. In newts, prolactin sparks a need to become aquatic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Water could be miles away, like three miles. That’s the equivalent of 36 miles for you and me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists don’t know for sure, but some think newts use their sense of smell to help guide them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they only have one real defense against snakes hiding in the brush: their skin. It’s covered in a poison strong enough to kill a person, if you ate one. Newts’ yellow eyes and belly tell predators to stay away. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But poison isn’t always enough to protect them. Many never make it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As they move toward water, newts’ skin starts to lose its bumps and becomes smooth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their long tails flatten into fins. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their amphibian bodies transform from terrestrial to aquatic to prepare for a mating frenzy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The male newt bulks up. It grows thick pads on its feet, perfect for clamping onto a female. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The word is “amplexus,” Latin for “embrace,” which is one word for it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newts can stay like this for hours, or days. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The result: egg clusters that females lay in the pond. So many eggs that newts sometimes eat a few for extra protein.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ones that survive will grow into larvae and stay in the water for several months, transforming into adults. In the fall, they’ll leave the pond.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then, if they’re lucky, they’ll come back here, again, and again, and again. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Or at least, they’ll try.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Earthworm Love Is Cuddly … and Complicated\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Earthworm love. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s cuddly … and complicated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From the start, the earthworm is built for romance, with four or five pairs of hearts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Finding a match, though, that’s a challenge for these mostly solitary animals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They go out looking when they’re a few months to a year old, and they’ve grown this fleshy, saddle-shaped patch, called a clitellum. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re now mature enough to get down to business. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tube-shaped invertebrate seeks mate to share loamy soil and good times.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The earthworm follows tastes and smells through dirt or leaf litter to find its valentine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It crawls around by anchoring its body with these bristles called setae … then pushing forward with its muscles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Along the way, it fuels up on bacteria and tiny fungi in the soil and leaves, sucking them in with its mouth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Such a luscious … lip?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every earthworm has some non-negotiables: Must breathe through iridescent skin. Must want kids. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But male or female is not one of them. All earthworms are both. They’re hermaphrodites, which automatically doubles their chances of finding a mate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When they do, they waste no time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Side by side, they surround each other with rings of slime they exude from their skin, bodies pointing in opposite directions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they embrace with these flaps on their clitella.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They can canoodle like this for an hour, swapping sperm. It travels outside their bodies, here, where they press up against each other, and flows between these segments into storage sacs inside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But their tender act has a dark side. As they do the deed, the earthworms stab each other with their pointy setae.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those wounds mean the injured lovers won’t be hooking up with others anytime soon. Jealous much?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After they’ve parted ways, each earthworm produces a sheath with its clitellum and shimmies it down its tubular body. The protein-rich ring moves over tiny holes where it gathers eggs and some of the collected sperm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, it slips right off the worm and becomes a cocoon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "sf-dumps-millions-of-gallons-of-sewage-during-big-storms-surfers-say-that-needs-to-stop",
"title": "SF Dumps Millions of Gallons of Sewage During Big Storms. Surfers Say That Needs to Stop",
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"headTitle": "SF Dumps Millions of Gallons of Sewage During Big Storms. Surfers Say That Needs to Stop | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Nina Atkind loves surfing, but she’s also a detective of sorts. During storms — like the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12025572/storm-stalls-over-bay-area-raising-risk-flooding-potential-tornado-warning\">massive systems that recently rocked the Bay Area\u003c/a> — she cloaks herself in an apple-red rain jacket and pulls up her tan gaiters before wading out into the swirling water at San Francisco’s Ocean Beach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During one recent storm in mid-December, Atkind dips a glass jar into the ocean as angry waves crash against the beach, frothy brown rollers pushing up towards the dunes at Vicente Street. The jar fills with the cloudy water, and she screws on a black cap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It looks yucky with a bunch of debris,” Atkind said. “I see microplastic in there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Atkind manages the Surfrider Foundation’s San Francisco chapter and delivers the water to a lab where it will be analyzed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re testing for poop in the water,” Atkind said. “The water is everything. It’s so important that those who want to go in the water can and not get sick from it. You don’t want to get sick from doing what you love.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996159\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-18-BL.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1996159 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-18-BL.jpg\" alt=\"A man stands at a table, next to a seated man and woman, with a blue banner that says 'Surfrider Foundation' on the wall behind him.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-18-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-18-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-18-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-18-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-18-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-18-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-18-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Drew Madsen (right), lead of the Blue Water Task Force, a volunteer water quality testing group, works with Justin James and Nina Atkind at the Surfrider Foundation’s lab in San Francisco’s Outer Sunset neighborhood on Feb. 6, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>An overwhelmed system\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Surfrider publishes the results to alert local surfers of pollution problems. The reporting also serves as a backstop to official tests conducted by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, which found that the microorganism enterococcus, a bacteria indicating fecal matter, was\u003ca href=\"https://webapps.sfpuc.org/sapps/beachesandbay.html\"> above the state’s posting threshold\u003c/a> in coastal waters on Dec. 14, 2024 — making water recreation that day inadvisable. Those levels subsided the following day, the agency noted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Atmospheric rivers almost guarantee one thing for San Francisco: millions of gallons of stormwater and raw sewage will get poured into the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In San Francisco, sewage and stormwater flow through the same pipes as part of a combined system. The problem is that large enough storms cause the system to overflow, which the city said typically happens less than 10 times a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back at her car, Atkind wipes the rain off her face before pulling her phone out to check if sewage water is spewing into waterways in any other spots. The SFPUC and the city’s Department of Public Health sample from more than 20 sites each week and monitor discharges from the sewer during storms. The results are posted on \u003ca href=\"https://webapps.sfpuc.org/sapps/beachesandbay.html\">a map on its website\u003c/a> — if sewage is discharged at any site, it’s indicated with a blinking triangle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996158\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-32-BL.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1996158 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-32-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-32-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-32-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-32-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-32-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-32-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-32-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-32-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An overflow pipe near the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant, also known as the Oceanside Treatment Plant, at Ocean Beach in San Francisco on Feb. 10, 2025. Erosion is damaging the overflow pipes along Ocean Beach. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Every single spot on the map is now flashing red with the little triangle,” Atkind said. “It’s definitely alarming to see this happen so many times per year, especially on the east side where the water doesn’t move as much as it does on the west side.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Environmental groups and the state of California argue that the city is discharging too frequently and at such high volumes that it taints the waterways with bacteria that can cause illness if people come into contact with it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When their system is operating properly, it’s a very well-working system,” said Sejal Choksi-Chugh, executive director of San Francisco Baykeeper. “The problem is when we have heavy rains, their system is not built to hold all those flows. That means the system gets overwhelmed, creating contaminated spots that are harmful for public access.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996153\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1075px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/Discharges.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1996153 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/Discharges.png\" alt=\"A map of SF showing sewage/wastewater discharge locations.\" width=\"1075\" height=\"744\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/Discharges.png 1075w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/Discharges-800x554.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/Discharges-1020x706.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/Discharges-160x111.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/Discharges-768x532.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1075px) 100vw, 1075px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A screenshot of an \u003ca href=\"https://webapps.sfpuc.org/sapps/beachesandbay.html\">SFPUC map\u003c/a> from Feb. 5, 2025, showing stormwater discharges that happened over the previous 72 hours. \u003ccite>(SFPUC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Ryan Seelbach, who has surfed Ocean Beach for three decades, said he actively avoids the beach during and right after storms to prevent himself from getting sick, even though the curling waves he sees from the shore taunt him. He said surfers often develop cold symptoms and ear infections after swimming in the polluted water.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘It gets funky’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“Where the water comes out during storm events, it gets funky and has a musty smell,” he said, wrinkling his nose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seelbach wants San Francisco to reduce the number of discharges so he can enjoy the more than 3-mile stretch of water that surfers worldwide flock to in the winter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think every human deserves to be able to access and use a clean ocean,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s not just surfers upset about water quality. The federal Environmental Protection Agency and California State Water Resources Control Board filed a civil complaint in federal court against San Francisco last May, \u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/ca/city-and-county-san-francisco-complaint\">alleging numerous Clean Water Act violations\u003c/a> over the last decade. The agencies are seeking “financial penalties and improvements to remedy San Francisco’s repeated and widespread failures” in operating its sewer systems and water treatment plants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The suit claims that since 2016, the city has annually discharged more than 1.8 billion gallons of untreated sewage into local waterways. That tainted water can contain pathogens like E. coli and cause severe illness if ingested.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A related but separate lawsuit recently reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments in October. \u003ca href=\"https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/23-753.html\">San Francisco sued the federal EPA\u003c/a>, claiming its discharge regulations were \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1993067/amid-long-and-costly-legal-battles-sf-urged-to-update-wastewater-system-fix-sewage-discharges\">too vague\u003c/a> — an argument that the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected. The Supreme Court could issue its decision by June.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a letter to the city last September, environmentalists urged San Francisco to drop the case. They accused the city of trying to dismantle the Clean Water Act, which they argued would “permanently stain the city’s reputation as a protector of the public and the environment” if their effort was successful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996157\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250210-SurferSewage-16-BL.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1996157 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250210-SurferSewage-16-BL.jpg\" alt=\"A surfer in a full-body wetsuit surfs a wave in the ocean.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250210-SurferSewage-16-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250210-SurferSewage-16-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250210-SurferSewage-16-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250210-SurferSewage-16-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250210-SurferSewage-16-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250210-SurferSewage-16-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250210-SurferSewage-16-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A surfer catches a wave at Ocean Beach in San Francisco on Feb. 10, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Wastewater experts believe a decision in San Francisco’s favor could have huge repercussions beyond the city’s borders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The folks who work for the city of San Francisco would tell you they’re just as committed to the environment as they ever were,” said David Sedlak, a water quality expert and professor of environmental engineering at UC Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But certainly to the outside world, if the case ends up overturning a lot of the approaches that are used now to protect our waters, people will wonder about San Francisco’s role in making that happen.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"related coverage\" tag=\"wastewater\"]San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu pushed back on the criticism, arguing the permits don’t limit the number of discharges that can take place in a year. “This case was never about challenging or seeking any change to the Clean Water Act, nor disputing EPA’s ability to enforce environmental protections,” Chiu said in a statement. “I am confident we made the right choice to protect San Franciscans.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The SFPUC argues that the exact amount of sewage that ends up in waterways varies based on each storm, and some of the pollution could come from other sources. Officials maintain that only a small percentage — less than 10% — of water discharged during storms is partially treated sewage. Most of the year, the system dispenses clean water, they say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I liken it to drinking a martini,” said Joel Prather, the SFPUC’s assistant general manager for wastewater enterprise. “I’m drinking the mixture of whatever alcohol I choose and the vermouth. And so, by the same token, there is a mix in there, but it’s designed to settle the solids out. And as it’s being discharged, it is primarily stormwater being discharged.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>‘The problem has definitely grown worse’\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>During last week’s storms, at least 20 sites discharged polluted water near Ocean Beach, Crissy Field, the Financial District, Mission Creek and Hunters Point, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://webapps.sfpuc.org/sapps/beachesandbay.html\">SFPUC’s beach water quality map\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SF Baykeeper captured images of dirty water containing fecal matter and trash overflowing into Mission Creek on Feb. 4.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Choksi-Chugh said these areas are “sacrifice zones” where the city has nowhere else to release polluted water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The problem has definitely grown worse,” she said. “They’re not allowed to be discharging this much bacteria and pollution into the bay, yet they are doing it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The issue is deepening because storms are often more intense than they used to be and can easily overwhelm the system first established more than a century ago. Scientists predict storms could become up to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212094722000275\">37% wetter by the end of the century\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are seeing significant storms, and we’re not alone here; the entire world is seeing stronger storms and having to deal with them,” Prather said. “We’re a combined system, so it’s designed to discharge before it floods on the street. But these large storms are overcoming everything.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Entirely revamping the city’s aging sewage and stormwater infrastructure would cost San Francisco ratepayers well over $10 billion on the bayside alone, which “would require major increases to wastewater bills,” according to the SFPUC.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996155\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-01-BL.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1996155 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-01-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-01-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-01-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-01-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-01-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-01-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-01-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-01-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Drew Madsen, the head of Blue Water Task Force, a volunteer-run water quality testing program, holds water samples taken from India Basin at the Surfrider Foundation’s lab in San Francisco’s Outer Sunset neighborhood on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. The samples are mixed with a reagent, which gives them a yellow color and reacts with bacteria, causing the samples to glow under UV light. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Chicago significantly reduced its discharges by digging giant tunnels underground to catch stormwater in the days after a storm. However, Prather said digging under densely populated San Francisco is unrealistic and would not pencil out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You’re talking tens of billions of dollars. You’re also talking about ripping up every street in San Francisco and putting new plumbing in,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco has invested $2 billion to reduce discharges by 80% of the 7.6 billion gallons it released annually half a century ago, Prather said. The agency has planned for nearly $4.9 billion in wastewater projects in its \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfpuc.gov/sites/default/files/about-us/policies-reports/10yrCapBudget_FY2023-24_FY2032-33.pdf\">10-year capital plan\u003c/a>, approved in 2023, including sewer system improvements, treatment facility updates and a Treasure Island treatment plant.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Best we can with the resources we have’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“At the end of the day, it’s just doing the best we can with the resources we have right now to be prepared for those storms,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During regular rain storms, the city collects rainwater at its two plants. Collection boxes can hold 200 million gallons of water before spilling. The agency aims to capture a billion gallons of stormwater annually using green infrastructure by 2050.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Rainwater or street runoff hits the green infrastructure and percolates into the ground before going on to either groundwater or our treatment facilities,” Prather said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency also offers a grant program for \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfpuc.gov/programs/grants/floodwater-management-grant-program\">residents experiencing flooding\u003c/a> on their properties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re not sitting on our hands doing nothing,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sedlak, of UC Berkeley, said San Francisco needs to prioritize its combined sewer overflow problem. “At this point, I’m not seeing the combined sewer overflow challenge as their highest priority,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He added that storms would only worsen with human-caused climate change, making hydroclimate whiplash — \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1995420/climate-scientists-warn-of-growing-whiplash-effect-on-weather-patterns\">fast swings between alarmingly wet and seriously dry weather\u003c/a> — more intense, and said San Francisco would have to make some sort of compromise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The real question for San Franciscans and people who enjoy the bay is what are we willing to pay to reduce the number of combined sewer overflows?” he said. “Is it just the people who live in San Francisco who pay the water and sewer bills there? Or is it something the whole state is interested in taking care of?”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Atmospheric rivers almost guarantee that San Francisco, with its sewage system, will dump millions of gallons of raw sewage into the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay. That’s a big deal for surfers who love the giant waves that the storms create.",
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"title": "SF Dumps Millions of Gallons of Sewage During Big Storms. Surfers Say That Needs to Stop | KQED",
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"headline": "SF Dumps Millions of Gallons of Sewage During Big Storms. Surfers Say That Needs to Stop",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Nina Atkind loves surfing, but she’s also a detective of sorts. During storms — like the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12025572/storm-stalls-over-bay-area-raising-risk-flooding-potential-tornado-warning\">massive systems that recently rocked the Bay Area\u003c/a> — she cloaks herself in an apple-red rain jacket and pulls up her tan gaiters before wading out into the swirling water at San Francisco’s Ocean Beach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During one recent storm in mid-December, Atkind dips a glass jar into the ocean as angry waves crash against the beach, frothy brown rollers pushing up towards the dunes at Vicente Street. The jar fills with the cloudy water, and she screws on a black cap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It looks yucky with a bunch of debris,” Atkind said. “I see microplastic in there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Atkind manages the Surfrider Foundation’s San Francisco chapter and delivers the water to a lab where it will be analyzed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re testing for poop in the water,” Atkind said. “The water is everything. It’s so important that those who want to go in the water can and not get sick from it. You don’t want to get sick from doing what you love.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996159\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-18-BL.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1996159 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-18-BL.jpg\" alt=\"A man stands at a table, next to a seated man and woman, with a blue banner that says 'Surfrider Foundation' on the wall behind him.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-18-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-18-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-18-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-18-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-18-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-18-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-18-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Drew Madsen (right), lead of the Blue Water Task Force, a volunteer water quality testing group, works with Justin James and Nina Atkind at the Surfrider Foundation’s lab in San Francisco’s Outer Sunset neighborhood on Feb. 6, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>An overwhelmed system\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Surfrider publishes the results to alert local surfers of pollution problems. The reporting also serves as a backstop to official tests conducted by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, which found that the microorganism enterococcus, a bacteria indicating fecal matter, was\u003ca href=\"https://webapps.sfpuc.org/sapps/beachesandbay.html\"> above the state’s posting threshold\u003c/a> in coastal waters on Dec. 14, 2024 — making water recreation that day inadvisable. Those levels subsided the following day, the agency noted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Atmospheric rivers almost guarantee one thing for San Francisco: millions of gallons of stormwater and raw sewage will get poured into the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In San Francisco, sewage and stormwater flow through the same pipes as part of a combined system. The problem is that large enough storms cause the system to overflow, which the city said typically happens less than 10 times a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back at her car, Atkind wipes the rain off her face before pulling her phone out to check if sewage water is spewing into waterways in any other spots. The SFPUC and the city’s Department of Public Health sample from more than 20 sites each week and monitor discharges from the sewer during storms. The results are posted on \u003ca href=\"https://webapps.sfpuc.org/sapps/beachesandbay.html\">a map on its website\u003c/a> — if sewage is discharged at any site, it’s indicated with a blinking triangle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996158\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-32-BL.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1996158 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-32-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-32-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-32-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-32-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-32-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-32-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-32-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-32-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An overflow pipe near the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant, also known as the Oceanside Treatment Plant, at Ocean Beach in San Francisco on Feb. 10, 2025. Erosion is damaging the overflow pipes along Ocean Beach. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Every single spot on the map is now flashing red with the little triangle,” Atkind said. “It’s definitely alarming to see this happen so many times per year, especially on the east side where the water doesn’t move as much as it does on the west side.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Environmental groups and the state of California argue that the city is discharging too frequently and at such high volumes that it taints the waterways with bacteria that can cause illness if people come into contact with it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When their system is operating properly, it’s a very well-working system,” said Sejal Choksi-Chugh, executive director of San Francisco Baykeeper. “The problem is when we have heavy rains, their system is not built to hold all those flows. That means the system gets overwhelmed, creating contaminated spots that are harmful for public access.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996153\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1075px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/Discharges.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1996153 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/Discharges.png\" alt=\"A map of SF showing sewage/wastewater discharge locations.\" width=\"1075\" height=\"744\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/Discharges.png 1075w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/Discharges-800x554.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/Discharges-1020x706.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/Discharges-160x111.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/Discharges-768x532.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1075px) 100vw, 1075px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A screenshot of an \u003ca href=\"https://webapps.sfpuc.org/sapps/beachesandbay.html\">SFPUC map\u003c/a> from Feb. 5, 2025, showing stormwater discharges that happened over the previous 72 hours. \u003ccite>(SFPUC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Ryan Seelbach, who has surfed Ocean Beach for three decades, said he actively avoids the beach during and right after storms to prevent himself from getting sick, even though the curling waves he sees from the shore taunt him. He said surfers often develop cold symptoms and ear infections after swimming in the polluted water.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘It gets funky’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“Where the water comes out during storm events, it gets funky and has a musty smell,” he said, wrinkling his nose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seelbach wants San Francisco to reduce the number of discharges so he can enjoy the more than 3-mile stretch of water that surfers worldwide flock to in the winter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think every human deserves to be able to access and use a clean ocean,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s not just surfers upset about water quality. The federal Environmental Protection Agency and California State Water Resources Control Board filed a civil complaint in federal court against San Francisco last May, \u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/ca/city-and-county-san-francisco-complaint\">alleging numerous Clean Water Act violations\u003c/a> over the last decade. The agencies are seeking “financial penalties and improvements to remedy San Francisco’s repeated and widespread failures” in operating its sewer systems and water treatment plants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The suit claims that since 2016, the city has annually discharged more than 1.8 billion gallons of untreated sewage into local waterways. That tainted water can contain pathogens like E. coli and cause severe illness if ingested.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A related but separate lawsuit recently reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments in October. \u003ca href=\"https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/23-753.html\">San Francisco sued the federal EPA\u003c/a>, claiming its discharge regulations were \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1993067/amid-long-and-costly-legal-battles-sf-urged-to-update-wastewater-system-fix-sewage-discharges\">too vague\u003c/a> — an argument that the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected. The Supreme Court could issue its decision by June.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a letter to the city last September, environmentalists urged San Francisco to drop the case. They accused the city of trying to dismantle the Clean Water Act, which they argued would “permanently stain the city’s reputation as a protector of the public and the environment” if their effort was successful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996157\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250210-SurferSewage-16-BL.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1996157 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250210-SurferSewage-16-BL.jpg\" alt=\"A surfer in a full-body wetsuit surfs a wave in the ocean.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250210-SurferSewage-16-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250210-SurferSewage-16-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250210-SurferSewage-16-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250210-SurferSewage-16-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250210-SurferSewage-16-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250210-SurferSewage-16-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250210-SurferSewage-16-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A surfer catches a wave at Ocean Beach in San Francisco on Feb. 10, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Wastewater experts believe a decision in San Francisco’s favor could have huge repercussions beyond the city’s borders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The folks who work for the city of San Francisco would tell you they’re just as committed to the environment as they ever were,” said David Sedlak, a water quality expert and professor of environmental engineering at UC Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But certainly to the outside world, if the case ends up overturning a lot of the approaches that are used now to protect our waters, people will wonder about San Francisco’s role in making that happen.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu pushed back on the criticism, arguing the permits don’t limit the number of discharges that can take place in a year. “This case was never about challenging or seeking any change to the Clean Water Act, nor disputing EPA’s ability to enforce environmental protections,” Chiu said in a statement. “I am confident we made the right choice to protect San Franciscans.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The SFPUC argues that the exact amount of sewage that ends up in waterways varies based on each storm, and some of the pollution could come from other sources. Officials maintain that only a small percentage — less than 10% — of water discharged during storms is partially treated sewage. Most of the year, the system dispenses clean water, they say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I liken it to drinking a martini,” said Joel Prather, the SFPUC’s assistant general manager for wastewater enterprise. “I’m drinking the mixture of whatever alcohol I choose and the vermouth. And so, by the same token, there is a mix in there, but it’s designed to settle the solids out. And as it’s being discharged, it is primarily stormwater being discharged.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>‘The problem has definitely grown worse’\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>During last week’s storms, at least 20 sites discharged polluted water near Ocean Beach, Crissy Field, the Financial District, Mission Creek and Hunters Point, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://webapps.sfpuc.org/sapps/beachesandbay.html\">SFPUC’s beach water quality map\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SF Baykeeper captured images of dirty water containing fecal matter and trash overflowing into Mission Creek on Feb. 4.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Choksi-Chugh said these areas are “sacrifice zones” where the city has nowhere else to release polluted water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The problem has definitely grown worse,” she said. “They’re not allowed to be discharging this much bacteria and pollution into the bay, yet they are doing it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The issue is deepening because storms are often more intense than they used to be and can easily overwhelm the system first established more than a century ago. Scientists predict storms could become up to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212094722000275\">37% wetter by the end of the century\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are seeing significant storms, and we’re not alone here; the entire world is seeing stronger storms and having to deal with them,” Prather said. “We’re a combined system, so it’s designed to discharge before it floods on the street. But these large storms are overcoming everything.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Entirely revamping the city’s aging sewage and stormwater infrastructure would cost San Francisco ratepayers well over $10 billion on the bayside alone, which “would require major increases to wastewater bills,” according to the SFPUC.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996155\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-01-BL.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1996155 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-01-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-01-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-01-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-01-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-01-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-01-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-01-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-01-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Drew Madsen, the head of Blue Water Task Force, a volunteer-run water quality testing program, holds water samples taken from India Basin at the Surfrider Foundation’s lab in San Francisco’s Outer Sunset neighborhood on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. The samples are mixed with a reagent, which gives them a yellow color and reacts with bacteria, causing the samples to glow under UV light. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Chicago significantly reduced its discharges by digging giant tunnels underground to catch stormwater in the days after a storm. However, Prather said digging under densely populated San Francisco is unrealistic and would not pencil out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You’re talking tens of billions of dollars. You’re also talking about ripping up every street in San Francisco and putting new plumbing in,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco has invested $2 billion to reduce discharges by 80% of the 7.6 billion gallons it released annually half a century ago, Prather said. The agency has planned for nearly $4.9 billion in wastewater projects in its \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfpuc.gov/sites/default/files/about-us/policies-reports/10yrCapBudget_FY2023-24_FY2032-33.pdf\">10-year capital plan\u003c/a>, approved in 2023, including sewer system improvements, treatment facility updates and a Treasure Island treatment plant.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Best we can with the resources we have’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“At the end of the day, it’s just doing the best we can with the resources we have right now to be prepared for those storms,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During regular rain storms, the city collects rainwater at its two plants. Collection boxes can hold 200 million gallons of water before spilling. The agency aims to capture a billion gallons of stormwater annually using green infrastructure by 2050.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Rainwater or street runoff hits the green infrastructure and percolates into the ground before going on to either groundwater or our treatment facilities,” Prather said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency also offers a grant program for \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfpuc.gov/programs/grants/floodwater-management-grant-program\">residents experiencing flooding\u003c/a> on their properties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re not sitting on our hands doing nothing,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sedlak, of UC Berkeley, said San Francisco needs to prioritize its combined sewer overflow problem. “At this point, I’m not seeing the combined sewer overflow challenge as their highest priority,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He added that storms would only worsen with human-caused climate change, making hydroclimate whiplash — \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1995420/climate-scientists-warn-of-growing-whiplash-effect-on-weather-patterns\">fast swings between alarmingly wet and seriously dry weather\u003c/a> — more intense, and said San Francisco would have to make some sort of compromise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The real question for San Franciscans and people who enjoy the bay is what are we willing to pay to reduce the number of combined sewer overflows?” he said. “Is it just the people who live in San Francisco who pay the water and sewer bills there? Or is it something the whole state is interested in taking care of?”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "best-bay-area-hikes-for-spotting-banana-slugs-newts-and-ladybugs-after-the-rain",
"title": "Top Bay Area Trails to Spot Banana Slugs, Newts & Ladybugs",
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"content": "\u003cp>The Bay Area has been \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12026524/california-rain-return-with-one-of-years-strongest-storms-on-the-way\">drenched with rain from multiple atmospheric river storms\u003c/a> these past few weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But once we get a break from this rainy weather — \u003ca href=\"https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?format=ci&glossary=1&issuedby=mtr&product=afd&site=mtr&version=1\">as the National Weather Service forecasts this weekend\u003c/a> — there’s a big upside: After rainfall is one of the best times to see colorful creepy crawlies out in nature. And right in time for Valentine’s Day, this is when they’re on the hunt for mates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keep reading for the best hiking trails in the Bay Area to hit after a wet spell to spot banana slugs, California newts and ladybugs. Just be sure to watch your step as you go.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Banana slugs on wet trails\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Banana slugs are mostly water, relying on moist environments to stay alive. In dry conditions, these striking yellow molluscs retreat to cool and shaded areas. But right after the rain, you’ll find them gliding along on wet soil in California’s damp forests — powered along by the slime produced by cells in their skin that helps them move over dirt and leaves. This slime allows banana slugs not only to retain their moisture but also to defend themselves by producing mucus that numbs the mouth and tongues of any predators trying to nibble on them. The chemicals left behind in their slime trails also allow banana slugs to more easily find each other.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Banana slugs are scavengers that feed on dead leaves, mushrooms and animals, but they’re also decomposers that help recycle nutrients into the forest floor. They also play a key ecological role by dispersing seeds and spores.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These slugs are hermaphroditic, possessing both male and female reproductive organs. And while they mate all year round, they’re most active after the rain. \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUIAKtcCMaU\">Mating is a lengthy process\u003c/a> that sometimes results in \u003ca href=\"https://openspacetrust.org/blog/banana-slug/\">one slug biting off its mate’s reproductive organ\u003c/a> — a process scientifically known as “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYr-_Mvqc9k\">apophallation\u003c/a>.” They lay eggs under logs or leaves, but they’re not attentive parents: Banana slug hatchlings must fend for themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see banana slugs in the Bay Area after the rain\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park, Oakland\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Muir Woods, Marin\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, Santa Cruz\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Armstrong Redwoods, Sonoma\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Purisima Creek Redwoods, Half Moon Bay\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The Bear Valley Visitor Center, Point Reyes\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHvCQSGanJg\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>California newts, looking for dates\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In the winter rainy season, thousands of orange-brown California newts cross Bay Area roads, migrating from burrows to mating ponds. Like banana slugs, newts need moisture to survive — especially during this mini-migration season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the breeding season, male newts go through a dramatic change. Once in the water of the mating pond, they become bulkier, their tails flatten into fins to swim better, and they develop pads on their feet to allow them to clamp onto a female newt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After mating, the newts produce clusters of eggs, which they sometimes munch on for extra protein. The eggs that survive grow into larvae and, after a few months, will leave the pond as adults — only to return when they themselves are ready to mate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see California newts in the Bay Area after the rain\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Sunol Regional Wilderness\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Las Trampas Regional Wilderness\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>In ponds and small lakes\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfbaywildlife.info/species/california_newt.htm\">Get more tips on spotting newts in the wild\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m37QR_4XNY\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Ladybugs in loving clusters\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In winter, when their food source is low, ladybugs cluster together in the millions to stay warm, conserve energy and protect themselves from predators. This is also an excellent time for them to find a mate — and for you to spot them in such numbers, called “aggregations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The species more commonly found in the Bay — for example, at Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park — are convergent ladybugs, one of 175 species native to California. The red color on their bodies is a defense mechanism against predators — a warning sign that they’re toxic. Over 5,000 species of ladybugs exist worldwide and come in different colors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see ladybugs in the Bay Area after the rain\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Stream trails at Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park in Oakland are a reliable spot to see ladybug aggregation. Hikers have also spotted aggregations at \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DE3ag9kqduW/\">Santa Cruz Mountains State Park\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you plan to see these colorful clusters, be sure to respect them by watching from a short distance. Collecting ladybugs from these aggregations is prohibited, as they might not survive their relocation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-Z6xRexbIU\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The Bay Area has been \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12026524/california-rain-return-with-one-of-years-strongest-storms-on-the-way\">drenched with rain from multiple atmospheric river storms\u003c/a> these past few weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But once we get a break from this rainy weather — \u003ca href=\"https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?format=ci&glossary=1&issuedby=mtr&product=afd&site=mtr&version=1\">as the National Weather Service forecasts this weekend\u003c/a> — there’s a big upside: After rainfall is one of the best times to see colorful creepy crawlies out in nature. And right in time for Valentine’s Day, this is when they’re on the hunt for mates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keep reading for the best hiking trails in the Bay Area to hit after a wet spell to spot banana slugs, California newts and ladybugs. Just be sure to watch your step as you go.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Banana slugs on wet trails\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Banana slugs are mostly water, relying on moist environments to stay alive. In dry conditions, these striking yellow molluscs retreat to cool and shaded areas. But right after the rain, you’ll find them gliding along on wet soil in California’s damp forests — powered along by the slime produced by cells in their skin that helps them move over dirt and leaves. This slime allows banana slugs not only to retain their moisture but also to defend themselves by producing mucus that numbs the mouth and tongues of any predators trying to nibble on them. The chemicals left behind in their slime trails also allow banana slugs to more easily find each other.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Banana slugs are scavengers that feed on dead leaves, mushrooms and animals, but they’re also decomposers that help recycle nutrients into the forest floor. They also play a key ecological role by dispersing seeds and spores.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These slugs are hermaphroditic, possessing both male and female reproductive organs. And while they mate all year round, they’re most active after the rain. \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUIAKtcCMaU\">Mating is a lengthy process\u003c/a> that sometimes results in \u003ca href=\"https://openspacetrust.org/blog/banana-slug/\">one slug biting off its mate’s reproductive organ\u003c/a> — a process scientifically known as “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYr-_Mvqc9k\">apophallation\u003c/a>.” They lay eggs under logs or leaves, but they’re not attentive parents: Banana slug hatchlings must fend for themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see banana slugs in the Bay Area after the rain\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park, Oakland\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Muir Woods, Marin\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, Santa Cruz\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Armstrong Redwoods, Sonoma\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Purisima Creek Redwoods, Half Moon Bay\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The Bear Valley Visitor Center, Point Reyes\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/mHvCQSGanJg'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/mHvCQSGanJg'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003ch2>California newts, looking for dates\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In the winter rainy season, thousands of orange-brown California newts cross Bay Area roads, migrating from burrows to mating ponds. Like banana slugs, newts need moisture to survive — especially during this mini-migration season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the breeding season, male newts go through a dramatic change. Once in the water of the mating pond, they become bulkier, their tails flatten into fins to swim better, and they develop pads on their feet to allow them to clamp onto a female newt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After mating, the newts produce clusters of eggs, which they sometimes munch on for extra protein. The eggs that survive grow into larvae and, after a few months, will leave the pond as adults — only to return when they themselves are ready to mate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see California newts in the Bay Area after the rain\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Sunol Regional Wilderness\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Las Trampas Regional Wilderness\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>In ponds and small lakes\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfbaywildlife.info/species/california_newt.htm\">Get more tips on spotting newts in the wild\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/5m37QR_4XNY'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/5m37QR_4XNY'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003ch2>Ladybugs in loving clusters\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In winter, when their food source is low, ladybugs cluster together in the millions to stay warm, conserve energy and protect themselves from predators. This is also an excellent time for them to find a mate — and for you to spot them in such numbers, called “aggregations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The species more commonly found in the Bay — for example, at Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park — are convergent ladybugs, one of 175 species native to California. The red color on their bodies is a defense mechanism against predators — a warning sign that they’re toxic. Over 5,000 species of ladybugs exist worldwide and come in different colors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see ladybugs in the Bay Area after the rain\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Stream trails at Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park in Oakland are a reliable spot to see ladybug aggregation. Hikers have also spotted aggregations at \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DE3ag9kqduW/\">Santa Cruz Mountains State Park\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you plan to see these colorful clusters, be sure to respect them by watching from a short distance. Collecting ladybugs from these aggregations is prohibited, as they might not survive their relocation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/c-Z6xRexbIU'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/c-Z6xRexbIU'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "at-hidden-tahoe-lab-scientists-learn-the-art-of-measuring-snow",
"title": "At Hidden Tahoe Lab, Scientists Learn the Art of Measuring Snow",
"publishDate": 1738929678,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "At Hidden Tahoe Lab, Scientists Learn the Art of Measuring Snow | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dropcap]A[/dropcap]nyone riding the gondola lift at Sugar Bowl Ski Resort one bright day in January might have seen something unexpected in the glade below them: A series of figures energetically digging pits in the snow by hand — deep enough for them to then jump inside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These pit diggers intently studied the walls of their newly carved chambers before pressing bright yellow sensors into the ice. They were, in fact, student scientists receiving training from the Central Sierra Snow Lab close by.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And while most visitors to the Sierra would never have a reason to come across this stocky, unassuming 1940s cabin nestled on a nearby backroad, the Snow Lab has been at the forefront of snow science for almost 80 years, maintaining the data that has huge implications for California’s water supply.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995844\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995844\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01549_duo-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"845\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01549_duo-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01549_duo-800x264.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01549_duo-1020x337.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01549_duo-160x53.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01549_duo-768x253.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01549_duo-1536x507.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01549_duo-2048x676.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01549_duo-1920x634.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Measuring implements to gauge the layers and depth of the Sierra snowpack (left) in use at the Snow Science School. Anne Nolin (right), professor of geography at the University of Nevada, Reno and a snow school attendee, marks the edge of where to dig a pit in the snowpack. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Now, this event, its first-ever Snow Science School, saw the Snow Lab open its doors to teach a new generation the tools of their trade — almost 7,000 feet above sea level in the mountains of Tahoe National Forest.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Hidden history on Donner Summit\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Though now managed by UC Berkeley, the Central Sierra Snow Lab in Soda Springs began life in 1946 as a collaboration between the Army Corps of Engineers and what’s now known as the National Weather Service. But while the Snow Lab’s own snowfall and snow depth measurements date back to its birth, this cabin beneath towering pine trees near Donner Summit also maintains much older records from the area going back to 1878 documenting the Central Pacific Railroad’s own efforts — making these the longest such climatological records in the world when it comes to snow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And for the scientists working up here in 2025, the job is essentially “to play in the snow and learn more about it,” said Andrew Schwartz, its director.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995851\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995851\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04876_duo-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1585\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04876_duo-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04876_duo-800x495.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04876_duo-1020x632.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04876_duo-160x99.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04876_duo-768x476.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04876_duo-1536x951.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04876_duo-2048x1268.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04876_duo-1920x1189.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Andrew Schwartz, director of UC Berkeley’s Central Sierra Snow Lab, holds a decades-old printout of snow measurements (left) and a black-and-white photograph (right) in the lab’s archives. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For the three days in January that saw 20 students from across the U.S. arrive at the Snow Science School, Tahoe was in the middle of a sunny, dry spell, with the snowpack at Donner Summit at 94% of the average for this time of year. But at an elevation of over 6,700 feet, the Snow Lab has seen its share of wild winters and momentous snowfall — making it an apt place to study snow science any time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Schwartz, who took over the Snow Lab in 2021 and lived inside the building for his first two years, recalled how, in 2023, the snow was so deep that he and his colleagues could “walk directly into the third-floor windows.” That year, the Snow Lab received a total of 63 feet of snow, its second-biggest winter accumulation on record — precipitation that would eventually become the snowmelt that’s crucial for California’s water supply.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995837\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995837\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00729.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00729.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00729-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00729-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00729-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00729-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00729-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00729-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Participants listen during a morning lecture at the Clair Tappan Lodge during the Snow Science School organized by UC Berkeley’s Central Sierra Snow Lab. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For Schwartz, his “number one” hope for the Snow Lab’s inaugural school is that the students leave “with an appreciation of snow and a better understanding of how it works, really — because it’s so important to the world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Roughly two billion people [around the world] use water obtained from snowpack. And we tend to take it for granted,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The school’s student body included a large handful of people from the California Department of Water Resources — one of the Snow Lab’s partners in this work — but also graduate students, researchers, snow modelers and teachers, as well as folks sent by the National Parks Service and the National Forest Service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995836\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995836\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00032.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00032.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00032-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00032-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00032-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00032-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00032-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00032-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Participants gather for a morning lecture during Snow Science School. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The breadth of experience and background among the Snow Science School’s students is a testimony to the wide range of applications this work can have — and to the disciplines that snow brings together. “It’s a very close-knit community,” said Preetika Kaur, a Snow Lab student attending from the University of Wyoming. “I love to meet people who are pros.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>All work and no play? Not at the Snow Lab\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>After climbing up the steep hill to the Snow Lab on their first day, students were shown past the bright red snowcat — the exact same model that’s featured in the movie \u003cem>The Shining\u003c/em>, noted Schwartz approvingly — and into the warren-like building. Above their heads, the top floor holds sleeping quarters for the scientists who board overnight to conduct research or who’ve been trapped inside by an impenetrable Sierra storm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995838\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00955_duo-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1104\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00955_duo-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00955_duo-800x345.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00955_duo-1020x440.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00955_duo-160x69.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00955_duo-768x331.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00955_duo-1536x662.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00955_duo-2048x883.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00955_duo-1920x828.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995839\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995839\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00964.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00964.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00964-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00964-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00964-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00964-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00964-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00964-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">UC Berkeley’s Central Sierra Snow Lab, based in Soda Springs near Donner Summit. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The first floor and basement, where the lab’s scientists work throughout the day, was full not just of computer screens and boxes full of measuring tools but also handwritten logs, archive photography depicting their Snow Lab predecessors out on the job, vintage road signs and instruments saved from the building’s past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s even an oscilloscope — an instrument that once measured voltage — with a large “NASA AMES” sticker on it, and even though Schwartz admits they “have no clue” what the Snow Lab scientists of previous years used it for up here, “I’d be lying if I still don’t like to play with the knobs on it,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995849\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995849\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04870.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04870.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04870-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04870-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04870-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04870-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04870-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04870-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Type 555 Dual-beam Oscilloscope, circa 1960s, at the Central Sierra Snow Lab. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995848\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995848\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04694_duo-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1102\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04694_duo-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04694_duo-800x344.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04694_duo-1020x439.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04694_duo-160x69.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04694_duo-768x330.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04694_duo-1536x661.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04694_duo-2048x881.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04694_duo-1920x826.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Spatulas and rulers (right) are some of the tools used to measure snowfall at the Snow Lab. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Outside, the students tour Snow Lab’s network of remote snow equipment, like the fluid-filled “snow pillow” that detects the weight of the snow falling on it and the sensors submerged in the creek behind the lab that will gauge the height of the icy water as it starts to rise with spring snowmelt. Other remote sensors constantly assess solar radiation — in a region where sunlight can contribute to up to 95% of snowmelt — and soil temperature to get an idea of just how fast the snowpack could melt this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But as this data collection hums in the background, Schwartz still maintains the lab’s twice-daily manual measurement tradition, which sees him and his colleagues crunch out onto the snow with “our very fancy ruler” — work that on some days, depending on conditions, can feel more like a polar expedition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995840\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995840\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01055.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01055.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01055-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01055-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01055-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01055-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01055-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01055-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gaby May Lagunes, a Ph.D. student in the Environmental Science, Policy, and Management Department at UC Berkeley, puts on her snowshoes to head into the field. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/UCB_CSSL\">the Snow Lab’s social media presence\u003c/a> has gained in popularity in the last few years, the snow measurements that Schwartz and his team make public are also watched eagerly by a different group of California enthusiasts: skiers and snowboarders desperate to know when to hit the Tahoe slopes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I love the different uses of our data in our information,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The impact of the snowpack on water supply\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The snowpack can contain clues of the past as well as the future — which is why the snow analysis techniques being taught at the Snow Science School go way beyond just assessing depth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A key concept hydrology students are taught about is “snow water equivalent,” or SWE (usually pronounced “swee” by snow scientists): A measurement that tells scientists just how much water is contained in an area of snow versus the air it also contains alongside its ice crystals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995841\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995841\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01224.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01224.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01224-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01224-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01224-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01224-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01224-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01224-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Andrew Schwartz, right, director of the Central Sierra Snow Lab, leads instructors and participants of the Snow Science School into the field. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“A lot of the water in California originally falls as snow, and it’s really valuable to humans because there’s a lot of it and because it stores itself for free in places where it’s cold and then melts in the spring, which is when we need it for agriculture,” said Marianne Cowherd, research associate at the Snow Lab and one of the instructors. “Having a good understanding of how much water we have available upstream lets us do things like manage our reservoir levels — so we still have enough water, but we don’t have dangerous operations or overflow.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The next piece of the snow science puzzle is working out when and how the state can expect that snow to melt. At the school, the students learn more about how energy from the sun and from the warm temperatures of the air and from the ground melts the snowpack and how the water flows into California’s soils and streams.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The thing that I’m trying to do is understand the effect of human changes in the landscape, specifically with irrigation on future precipitation patterns and precipitation extremes,” said Gaby May Lagunes, a snow lab student and UC Berkeley graduate researcher. “How the way people change the environment has an impact on the water cycle, not only locally, regionally and globally.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So “if I want to understand water from a data-driven perspective, I need to have an idea of what snow people know,” she said. “We need to work together a lot because we cannot know everything.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995845\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995845\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02033.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02033.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02033-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02033-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02033-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02033-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02033-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02033-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Preetika Kaur, left, a Ph.D. student at the University of Wyoming, and Joe Ammatelli, an assistant research scientist with the Desert Research Institute, dig a pit in the snowpack during Snow Science School. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Up close in the snow pits\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>For students, the real action came when the school decamped closer to Donner Summit for the field measurement portion of their studies. After suiting up in thermal layers, bibs and beanies — plus lab-supplied polarized sunglasses that read “No Biz Like Snow Biz” on the side — the students strap on snowshoes to make the hike along a snow-covered trail to a secluded woods, sandwiched between Sugar Bowl and Donner Ski Ranch. Here, they began to dig out a series of 4-foot-deep snow pits using shovels, low enough to strike soil and complete with steps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The snowpack can be far larger, sometimes as deep as 20 feet, and scientists “have to build literal levels down to measure the whole thing,” Schwartz said — “so you don’t have to Spider-Man your way out every time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Joe Ammatelli was sent by the Desert Research Institute in Nevada, where he carries out snow modeling, which needs to be validated by field observations. “It’s really valuable as a modeler to get out here and see how it’s done,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995846\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995846\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02943_duo-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"845\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02943_duo-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02943_duo-800x264.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02943_duo-1020x337.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02943_duo-160x53.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02943_duo-768x253.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02943_duo-1536x507.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02943_duo-2048x676.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02943_duo-1920x634.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Snow crystals lay on a measuring device during a field outing with the Snow Science School in January. Chris Northart, right, with the Department of Water Resources Statewide Monitoring Network Unit and a participant of the Snow Science School, uses a magnification lens to measure the size of snow granules. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995847\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995847\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_03173.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_03173.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_03173-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_03173-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_03173-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_03173-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_03173-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_03173-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A participant of the Snow School weighs a wedge of snow collected from the snowpack in a field outing. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And for all the technological developments in snow science, it remains deeply tactile for its practitioners. Down in the pits, the students measured the snow’s temperature and observed how it changed the deeper the pit went. Then, using specialized shovels, the students scooped out and leveled off snow before weighing it on a scale — a method of measuring density and snow water equivalent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They examined physical changes in the different layers in the smooth white walls of the snow pits, like studying rings in a tree trunk. These kinds of measurements are an exercise in time travel, explained instructor Cowherd, given the different qualities of snowflakes that fall at different times and how the ever-accumulating snowpack ages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the air heats and cools, the snow melts and compresses under its own weight — all of which “tells us about the history of what’s happened there,” Cowherd said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Every day in the snow is a good day’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The observations that the instructors taught its snow students in the pits are the kind that stretches back almost a century and a half in the Snow Lab’s own archives — and this volume of information is invaluable for assessing the impact of climate change, Schwartz said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We see the same amount of precipitation coming in, but it’s shifting from snow terrain in all the months — so we’re seeing warming,” he said. “Our rain-snow line is going up in elevation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The almost 150 years of data can also aid forecasters in looking for variables that smaller data sets just can’t encompass, he said — like the Sierra’s dry spells that are followed by big years for rain and snowfall, a swing that’s seen in “five year periods.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995850\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1333px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995850\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04872.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1333\" height=\"2000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04872.jpg 1333w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04872-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04872-1020x1530.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04872-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04872-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04872-1024x1536.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A sign to alert the public of a snow survey shelter structure from the Department of Water Resources is one of the objects in the archive at the Snow Lab. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The school’s emphasis on continuing the tradition of meticulous data collection is shot through with the deep enthusiasm that marks the people in its orbit. Even in the chill of the field, when digging out feet of snow, the students remain upbeat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Snow people are really fun people for the most part,” said instructor Micah Johnson, as he demonstrated an invention he’d been working on for a decade — showing the students how to stab his Bluetooth-enabled “penetrometer-reflectometer” stick into the snow and call up data from its sensors. “I have yet to meet an indifferent snow scientist of sorts.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Or, as Ammatelli from the Desert Research Institute said, “Every day in the snow is a good day.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Joe Ammatelli’s name.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"title": "Scientists Learn the Art of Measuring Snow at Hidden Tahoe Lab | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">A\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>nyone riding the gondola lift at Sugar Bowl Ski Resort one bright day in January might have seen something unexpected in the glade below them: A series of figures energetically digging pits in the snow by hand — deep enough for them to then jump inside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These pit diggers intently studied the walls of their newly carved chambers before pressing bright yellow sensors into the ice. They were, in fact, student scientists receiving training from the Central Sierra Snow Lab close by.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And while most visitors to the Sierra would never have a reason to come across this stocky, unassuming 1940s cabin nestled on a nearby backroad, the Snow Lab has been at the forefront of snow science for almost 80 years, maintaining the data that has huge implications for California’s water supply.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995844\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995844\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01549_duo-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"845\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01549_duo-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01549_duo-800x264.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01549_duo-1020x337.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01549_duo-160x53.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01549_duo-768x253.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01549_duo-1536x507.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01549_duo-2048x676.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01549_duo-1920x634.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Measuring implements to gauge the layers and depth of the Sierra snowpack (left) in use at the Snow Science School. Anne Nolin (right), professor of geography at the University of Nevada, Reno and a snow school attendee, marks the edge of where to dig a pit in the snowpack. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Now, this event, its first-ever Snow Science School, saw the Snow Lab open its doors to teach a new generation the tools of their trade — almost 7,000 feet above sea level in the mountains of Tahoe National Forest.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Hidden history on Donner Summit\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Though now managed by UC Berkeley, the Central Sierra Snow Lab in Soda Springs began life in 1946 as a collaboration between the Army Corps of Engineers and what’s now known as the National Weather Service. But while the Snow Lab’s own snowfall and snow depth measurements date back to its birth, this cabin beneath towering pine trees near Donner Summit also maintains much older records from the area going back to 1878 documenting the Central Pacific Railroad’s own efforts — making these the longest such climatological records in the world when it comes to snow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And for the scientists working up here in 2025, the job is essentially “to play in the snow and learn more about it,” said Andrew Schwartz, its director.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995851\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995851\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04876_duo-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1585\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04876_duo-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04876_duo-800x495.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04876_duo-1020x632.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04876_duo-160x99.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04876_duo-768x476.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04876_duo-1536x951.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04876_duo-2048x1268.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04876_duo-1920x1189.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Andrew Schwartz, director of UC Berkeley’s Central Sierra Snow Lab, holds a decades-old printout of snow measurements (left) and a black-and-white photograph (right) in the lab’s archives. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For the three days in January that saw 20 students from across the U.S. arrive at the Snow Science School, Tahoe was in the middle of a sunny, dry spell, with the snowpack at Donner Summit at 94% of the average for this time of year. But at an elevation of over 6,700 feet, the Snow Lab has seen its share of wild winters and momentous snowfall — making it an apt place to study snow science any time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Schwartz, who took over the Snow Lab in 2021 and lived inside the building for his first two years, recalled how, in 2023, the snow was so deep that he and his colleagues could “walk directly into the third-floor windows.” That year, the Snow Lab received a total of 63 feet of snow, its second-biggest winter accumulation on record — precipitation that would eventually become the snowmelt that’s crucial for California’s water supply.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995837\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995837\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00729.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00729.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00729-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00729-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00729-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00729-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00729-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00729-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Participants listen during a morning lecture at the Clair Tappan Lodge during the Snow Science School organized by UC Berkeley’s Central Sierra Snow Lab. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For Schwartz, his “number one” hope for the Snow Lab’s inaugural school is that the students leave “with an appreciation of snow and a better understanding of how it works, really — because it’s so important to the world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Roughly two billion people [around the world] use water obtained from snowpack. And we tend to take it for granted,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The school’s student body included a large handful of people from the California Department of Water Resources — one of the Snow Lab’s partners in this work — but also graduate students, researchers, snow modelers and teachers, as well as folks sent by the National Parks Service and the National Forest Service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995836\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995836\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00032.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00032.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00032-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00032-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00032-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00032-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00032-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00032-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Participants gather for a morning lecture during Snow Science School. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The breadth of experience and background among the Snow Science School’s students is a testimony to the wide range of applications this work can have — and to the disciplines that snow brings together. “It’s a very close-knit community,” said Preetika Kaur, a Snow Lab student attending from the University of Wyoming. “I love to meet people who are pros.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>All work and no play? Not at the Snow Lab\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>After climbing up the steep hill to the Snow Lab on their first day, students were shown past the bright red snowcat — the exact same model that’s featured in the movie \u003cem>The Shining\u003c/em>, noted Schwartz approvingly — and into the warren-like building. Above their heads, the top floor holds sleeping quarters for the scientists who board overnight to conduct research or who’ve been trapped inside by an impenetrable Sierra storm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995838\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00955_duo-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1104\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00955_duo-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00955_duo-800x345.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00955_duo-1020x440.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00955_duo-160x69.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00955_duo-768x331.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00955_duo-1536x662.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00955_duo-2048x883.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00955_duo-1920x828.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995839\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995839\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00964.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00964.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00964-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00964-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00964-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00964-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00964-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00964-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">UC Berkeley’s Central Sierra Snow Lab, based in Soda Springs near Donner Summit. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The first floor and basement, where the lab’s scientists work throughout the day, was full not just of computer screens and boxes full of measuring tools but also handwritten logs, archive photography depicting their Snow Lab predecessors out on the job, vintage road signs and instruments saved from the building’s past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s even an oscilloscope — an instrument that once measured voltage — with a large “NASA AMES” sticker on it, and even though Schwartz admits they “have no clue” what the Snow Lab scientists of previous years used it for up here, “I’d be lying if I still don’t like to play with the knobs on it,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995849\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995849\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04870.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04870.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04870-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04870-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04870-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04870-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04870-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04870-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Type 555 Dual-beam Oscilloscope, circa 1960s, at the Central Sierra Snow Lab. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995848\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995848\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04694_duo-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1102\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04694_duo-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04694_duo-800x344.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04694_duo-1020x439.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04694_duo-160x69.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04694_duo-768x330.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04694_duo-1536x661.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04694_duo-2048x881.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04694_duo-1920x826.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Spatulas and rulers (right) are some of the tools used to measure snowfall at the Snow Lab. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Outside, the students tour Snow Lab’s network of remote snow equipment, like the fluid-filled “snow pillow” that detects the weight of the snow falling on it and the sensors submerged in the creek behind the lab that will gauge the height of the icy water as it starts to rise with spring snowmelt. Other remote sensors constantly assess solar radiation — in a region where sunlight can contribute to up to 95% of snowmelt — and soil temperature to get an idea of just how fast the snowpack could melt this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But as this data collection hums in the background, Schwartz still maintains the lab’s twice-daily manual measurement tradition, which sees him and his colleagues crunch out onto the snow with “our very fancy ruler” — work that on some days, depending on conditions, can feel more like a polar expedition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995840\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995840\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01055.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01055.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01055-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01055-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01055-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01055-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01055-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01055-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gaby May Lagunes, a Ph.D. student in the Environmental Science, Policy, and Management Department at UC Berkeley, puts on her snowshoes to head into the field. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/UCB_CSSL\">the Snow Lab’s social media presence\u003c/a> has gained in popularity in the last few years, the snow measurements that Schwartz and his team make public are also watched eagerly by a different group of California enthusiasts: skiers and snowboarders desperate to know when to hit the Tahoe slopes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I love the different uses of our data in our information,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The impact of the snowpack on water supply\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The snowpack can contain clues of the past as well as the future — which is why the snow analysis techniques being taught at the Snow Science School go way beyond just assessing depth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A key concept hydrology students are taught about is “snow water equivalent,” or SWE (usually pronounced “swee” by snow scientists): A measurement that tells scientists just how much water is contained in an area of snow versus the air it also contains alongside its ice crystals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995841\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995841\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01224.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01224.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01224-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01224-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01224-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01224-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01224-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01224-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Andrew Schwartz, right, director of the Central Sierra Snow Lab, leads instructors and participants of the Snow Science School into the field. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“A lot of the water in California originally falls as snow, and it’s really valuable to humans because there’s a lot of it and because it stores itself for free in places where it’s cold and then melts in the spring, which is when we need it for agriculture,” said Marianne Cowherd, research associate at the Snow Lab and one of the instructors. “Having a good understanding of how much water we have available upstream lets us do things like manage our reservoir levels — so we still have enough water, but we don’t have dangerous operations or overflow.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The next piece of the snow science puzzle is working out when and how the state can expect that snow to melt. At the school, the students learn more about how energy from the sun and from the warm temperatures of the air and from the ground melts the snowpack and how the water flows into California’s soils and streams.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The thing that I’m trying to do is understand the effect of human changes in the landscape, specifically with irrigation on future precipitation patterns and precipitation extremes,” said Gaby May Lagunes, a snow lab student and UC Berkeley graduate researcher. “How the way people change the environment has an impact on the water cycle, not only locally, regionally and globally.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So “if I want to understand water from a data-driven perspective, I need to have an idea of what snow people know,” she said. “We need to work together a lot because we cannot know everything.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995845\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995845\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02033.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02033.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02033-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02033-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02033-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02033-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02033-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02033-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Preetika Kaur, left, a Ph.D. student at the University of Wyoming, and Joe Ammatelli, an assistant research scientist with the Desert Research Institute, dig a pit in the snowpack during Snow Science School. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Up close in the snow pits\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>For students, the real action came when the school decamped closer to Donner Summit for the field measurement portion of their studies. After suiting up in thermal layers, bibs and beanies — plus lab-supplied polarized sunglasses that read “No Biz Like Snow Biz” on the side — the students strap on snowshoes to make the hike along a snow-covered trail to a secluded woods, sandwiched between Sugar Bowl and Donner Ski Ranch. Here, they began to dig out a series of 4-foot-deep snow pits using shovels, low enough to strike soil and complete with steps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The snowpack can be far larger, sometimes as deep as 20 feet, and scientists “have to build literal levels down to measure the whole thing,” Schwartz said — “so you don’t have to Spider-Man your way out every time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Joe Ammatelli was sent by the Desert Research Institute in Nevada, where he carries out snow modeling, which needs to be validated by field observations. “It’s really valuable as a modeler to get out here and see how it’s done,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995846\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995846\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02943_duo-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"845\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02943_duo-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02943_duo-800x264.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02943_duo-1020x337.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02943_duo-160x53.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02943_duo-768x253.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02943_duo-1536x507.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02943_duo-2048x676.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02943_duo-1920x634.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Snow crystals lay on a measuring device during a field outing with the Snow Science School in January. Chris Northart, right, with the Department of Water Resources Statewide Monitoring Network Unit and a participant of the Snow Science School, uses a magnification lens to measure the size of snow granules. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995847\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995847\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_03173.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_03173.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_03173-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_03173-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_03173-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_03173-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_03173-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_03173-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A participant of the Snow School weighs a wedge of snow collected from the snowpack in a field outing. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And for all the technological developments in snow science, it remains deeply tactile for its practitioners. Down in the pits, the students measured the snow’s temperature and observed how it changed the deeper the pit went. Then, using specialized shovels, the students scooped out and leveled off snow before weighing it on a scale — a method of measuring density and snow water equivalent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They examined physical changes in the different layers in the smooth white walls of the snow pits, like studying rings in a tree trunk. These kinds of measurements are an exercise in time travel, explained instructor Cowherd, given the different qualities of snowflakes that fall at different times and how the ever-accumulating snowpack ages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the air heats and cools, the snow melts and compresses under its own weight — all of which “tells us about the history of what’s happened there,” Cowherd said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Every day in the snow is a good day’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The observations that the instructors taught its snow students in the pits are the kind that stretches back almost a century and a half in the Snow Lab’s own archives — and this volume of information is invaluable for assessing the impact of climate change, Schwartz said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We see the same amount of precipitation coming in, but it’s shifting from snow terrain in all the months — so we’re seeing warming,” he said. “Our rain-snow line is going up in elevation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The almost 150 years of data can also aid forecasters in looking for variables that smaller data sets just can’t encompass, he said — like the Sierra’s dry spells that are followed by big years for rain and snowfall, a swing that’s seen in “five year periods.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995850\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1333px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995850\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04872.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1333\" height=\"2000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04872.jpg 1333w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04872-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04872-1020x1530.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04872-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04872-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04872-1024x1536.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A sign to alert the public of a snow survey shelter structure from the Department of Water Resources is one of the objects in the archive at the Snow Lab. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The school’s emphasis on continuing the tradition of meticulous data collection is shot through with the deep enthusiasm that marks the people in its orbit. Even in the chill of the field, when digging out feet of snow, the students remain upbeat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Snow people are really fun people for the most part,” said instructor Micah Johnson, as he demonstrated an invention he’d been working on for a decade — showing the students how to stab his Bluetooth-enabled “penetrometer-reflectometer” stick into the snow and call up data from its sensors. “I have yet to meet an indifferent snow scientist of sorts.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Or, as Ammatelli from the Desert Research Institute said, “Every day in the snow is a good day.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Joe Ammatelli’s name.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>California’s iconic monarch butterfly population saw a sharp decline this year, which biologists attribute to the hot summer and fall temperatures across the state affecting the species’ migratory path.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The latest Western Monarch Count by Xerces Society recorded 9,119 overwintering monarch butterflies — those that travel to warmer climates in the winter — in California, marking the second-lowest population since tracking began in 1997. This sharp decline follows three consecutive years of over 200,000 monarchs and remains well below the \u003ca href=\"https://westernmonarchcount.org/the-current-status-of-western-monarch-butterflies-by-the-numbers/\">millions observed in the 1980s\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The specific drop we saw this year largely attributed to the really hot temperatures and the drought that we saw across the West in July, somewhat into August and again in September and October, when that migratory generation should be making its way to the overwintering sites,” said Emma Pelton, an endangered species biologist with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Santa Cruz County had the most overwintering monarch clusters this year, with Lighthouse Field State Park reporting 1,406 butterflies, Natural Bridges State Park counting 1,400, and Moran Lake recording 645. The fourth-largest site was Pismo Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove in San Luis Obispo County, with 556 monarchs recorded in late November. Skywest Golf Course in Hayward ranked fifth with 477 butterflies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other locations with higher densities of monarchs include the Pacific Grove Butterfly Sanctuary in Monterey County, which had 228, and UC Gill Tract Community Farm in Alameda, which recorded 196 and was one of the few sites to see a population increase this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, some historically significant sites experienced drastic declines. The Goleta Monarch Butterfly Grove at Ellwood Mesa had almost no clusters, with only three monarchs spotted across multiple locations. A privately-owned Santa Barbara site managed by The Nature Conservancy, which hosted 33,200 monarchs last winter, dramatically dropped to 198 this season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Experts say the decline is caused by habitat loss, pesticide exposure, and climate change. Record-high temperatures and drought throughout the summer and fall months last year likely also contributed to the drop. In January, fires in Los Angeles County burned tree groves where monarchs overwinter, including a site in Lower Topanga Canyon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The western monarch population, which migrates separately from eastern monarchs overwintering in Mexico, relies on California’s coastal tree groves for shelter. Experts say voluntary efforts like pollinator gardens have helped prevent even steeper declines but that broader policy changes are needed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label='Related Coverage' tag='science']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s a huge number of people that care about monarchs and are planting habitat or trying to protect the species. But the evidence points to how we need this work done at a much higher level,” Pelton said, referring to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.fws.gov/press-release/2024-12/monarch-butterfly-proposed-endangered-species-act-protection\">U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposal\u003c/a> to list monarchs as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If approved, the proposal would provide improved protection for monarch overwintering habitat in California and more incentives for habitat restoration. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.fws.gov/initiative/pollinators/save-monarch\">public comment period on the listing is open\u003c/a> until March 12, and Xerces Society is asking individuals \u003ca href=\"https://win.newmode.net/xerces-fws-monarch\">to sign on to support the listing\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>California’s iconic monarch butterfly population saw a sharp decline this year, which biologists attribute to the hot summer and fall temperatures across the state affecting the species’ migratory path.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The latest Western Monarch Count by Xerces Society recorded 9,119 overwintering monarch butterflies — those that travel to warmer climates in the winter — in California, marking the second-lowest population since tracking began in 1997. This sharp decline follows three consecutive years of over 200,000 monarchs and remains well below the \u003ca href=\"https://westernmonarchcount.org/the-current-status-of-western-monarch-butterflies-by-the-numbers/\">millions observed in the 1980s\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The specific drop we saw this year largely attributed to the really hot temperatures and the drought that we saw across the West in July, somewhat into August and again in September and October, when that migratory generation should be making its way to the overwintering sites,” said Emma Pelton, an endangered species biologist with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Santa Cruz County had the most overwintering monarch clusters this year, with Lighthouse Field State Park reporting 1,406 butterflies, Natural Bridges State Park counting 1,400, and Moran Lake recording 645. The fourth-largest site was Pismo Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove in San Luis Obispo County, with 556 monarchs recorded in late November. Skywest Golf Course in Hayward ranked fifth with 477 butterflies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other locations with higher densities of monarchs include the Pacific Grove Butterfly Sanctuary in Monterey County, which had 228, and UC Gill Tract Community Farm in Alameda, which recorded 196 and was one of the few sites to see a population increase this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, some historically significant sites experienced drastic declines. The Goleta Monarch Butterfly Grove at Ellwood Mesa had almost no clusters, with only three monarchs spotted across multiple locations. A privately-owned Santa Barbara site managed by The Nature Conservancy, which hosted 33,200 monarchs last winter, dramatically dropped to 198 this season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Experts say the decline is caused by habitat loss, pesticide exposure, and climate change. Record-high temperatures and drought throughout the summer and fall months last year likely also contributed to the drop. In January, fires in Los Angeles County burned tree groves where monarchs overwinter, including a site in Lower Topanga Canyon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The western monarch population, which migrates separately from eastern monarchs overwintering in Mexico, relies on California’s coastal tree groves for shelter. Experts say voluntary efforts like pollinator gardens have helped prevent even steeper declines but that broader policy changes are needed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s a huge number of people that care about monarchs and are planting habitat or trying to protect the species. But the evidence points to how we need this work done at a much higher level,” Pelton said, referring to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.fws.gov/press-release/2024-12/monarch-butterfly-proposed-endangered-species-act-protection\">U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposal\u003c/a> to list monarchs as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If approved, the proposal would provide improved protection for monarch overwintering habitat in California and more incentives for habitat restoration. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.fws.gov/initiative/pollinators/save-monarch\">public comment period on the listing is open\u003c/a> until March 12, and Xerces Society is asking individuals \u003ca href=\"https://win.newmode.net/xerces-fws-monarch\">to sign on to support the listing\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
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"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
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"marketplace": {
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"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
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"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
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"mindshift": {
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"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
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